It's Just Like Magic
by Fae 206
Summary: Kyoko tells Ren that she's in love with him, however when Ren's identity is revealed more trouble and strange situations surround the couple that only amplify when they go to America together. How is this cute couple going to navigate their relationship with Kuon's past coming back to haunt him? How about when Kyoko gets some acting jobs of her own?
1. Chapter 1 - Three Little Words

**Author Note:** So I am trying my hand at a happy fic. It's a little strange for me to say that because I love dark and drama, I love going into hidden emotions and trying to get the reader to experience them too. However, I think that I wanted to challenge myself at the request of some reviewers and try a happy story so I hope you like it and thanks for reading.

This is set with information pre-Momiji arc but also set in the future.

 **It's Just Like Magic**

 **Chapter One – Three Little Words**

Kyoko had made up her mind on December 26th that she loved him. She had realized it a while back, the feeling that she didn't want to let go of him and that she felt jealous whenever another woman was at his side. She had come to terms with the feeling that her respect for Ren might be deeper. It was after he had given her that jewelry set on her birthday that she had known for sure.

She was in love with Ren Tsuruga. The only thing she didn't know was how to tell him. She was only eighteen now and Ren was going to turn twenty-two soon, wouldn't he think that she was a little young? Would he laugh if she told him that she had these feelings? Would he say that he had been privately dating somebody else?

Her heart beat heavily in her chest.

This was why she had been so afraid of feeling love, of finding someone that she felt this way towards. She didn't want to be trapped in an endless cycle of devoting herself to a man and then finding her heart broken. She didn't want to lose what she had with him. She didn't want to risk him hating her or laughing at her.

She paled, maybe it was best not to tell him. If she could just keep her distance from him then she could continue pretending that everything was okay. He wouldn't be inconvenienced and he wouldn't tell her to get lost or bully her about it. She just needed to keep her dis-

"Kyoko-chan!" Yashiro smiled as the three of them saw one another, he waved before seeing Kyoko's nervous figure. He reached out for her but she shook, she stared up at the actor with wide eyes before blushing and looking down. "Oh, is there something that you're not telling us," Yashiro said with a teasing look in his eyes.

"Leave Mogami-san alone," Ren said with a roll of his eyes. He smiled at her as Kyoko tried not to make eye contact with him. "How are you today? Did you sleep well after all of the excitement these past two days?"

Kyoko bit her bottom lip and moved her foot awkwardly as she tried to concentrate on the tiled floor. "I…I had a great time at the party. Thank you for your present," she said as Ren tilted his head. He shared a concerned look with Yashiro.

"Mogami-san, is something troubling you?" he asked with his gentle voice and Kyoko felt a slight happiness burn inside of her.

How did his voice become more beautiful to listen to overnight? How did his smile affect her so much more than before? Why was she so nervous around him, he had released so many Kyoko angels that she felt that she could fly in the air in the same style as Corn did.

"I have to go!" she choked, "Sorry Tsuruga-san!" she apologized before running off.

Ren looked at his manager in shock, before Yashiro could ask him what had happened, Ren shook his head. "I have no idea." Inside he hoped he hadn't done something to scare her or make her unable to open up to him anymore. He loved her, he had known that for so long now. The last thing he wanted to do was terrify her.

….

Kyoko ran down the hallway, her hand on her heart as she felt that it was going to light up and burn through her chest. She couldn't take it if he rejected her. She could imagine him laughing at her, scolding her, telling her that he never wanted to see her again. She wouldn't be able to cope with that.

Somehow, a rush of relief went through her when she saw her best friend sitting alone in an office. "Moko!" she said as she burst in. "Hey, can you help me?" she asked as Kanae looked her over.

Kanae looked down at the script she was reading over and then pushed it to the side. "Help you? Didn't your thank everyone party part two go okay?" she asked wondering what else Kyoko would be asking about. However, as she looked over her friend's face she saw the high level of anxiety that she was lugging around with her. "What do you need help with?" she asked.

Kyoko took a deep breath before closing her eyes, "How do you tell somebody you love them?" she asked.

Kanae stared at her in horror, sitting up a bit straighter in her seat. She looked at how Kyoko had bowed, her hands clenched and her skin turning a deep red in color. "What kind of a question is that!?" she asked as she looked horrified at being asked that. "Why on earth would you tell somebody that?" she asked as Kyoko felt tears in her eyes.

"Because I do love him," she said, "and it's scary. I want to be with him, I want to be with him all the time and make sure he eats and help him if he doesn't understand something in the script. I want to be able to hold him if he's scared, for him to be able to tell me if he's scared. I just…I really want to tell him how I love him," Kyoko said before looking up nervously at her fellow Love Me member.

"Who is it we're talking about here?" Kanae asked as she flicked her hair back. If it was anyone other than Ren Tsuruga there might be difficulty here. Still, if that guy was a friend to her he should be able to keep his heart bandaged together and accept the friendzone.

"Tsuruga-s-san" Kyoko shifted.

Kane sighed in relief and put two fingers to her forehead, "Then I wouldn't worry about it," she replied. "Just tell him honestly and openly like when you always speak to him. I don't think he's the type of guy to make you feel bad about something like that."

Kyoko looked down with a nod, "I know, but if he doesn't say it back and he says that I've been foolish. He's my senior, he's done so well with his work and it just…he probably has people say this to him all the time."

"Then make sure he doesn't have time to say anything until you've finished," Kanae commented before looking down. "Cookies. Bake him some of your cookies and tell him, I know that you've used that trick on me before and I'm still angry about it."

Kyoko looked away, she felt even more nervous now. "Tsuruga-san isn't the type of person who would want to eat a lot of cookies, it might be a burden for him to even accept them," she mused as Kanae sighed. Could she even get it through Kyoko's head without literally saying it directly that Ren was in love with her. The poor guy was so obvious that he had had to be patient a really long time to get to this point.

"Won't he eat them even if it is out of politeness," Kanae said as Kyoko nodded. "Then you can show him with a gift that you like him."

Before Kanae knew what was happening, Kyoko had thrown her arms around her best friend and was crying a little before laughing through her tears. "Thank you," Kyoko said, "that's a really good idea. Thank you, Moko."

Kanae nodded, Ren Tsuruga was soon going to be extremely happy.

….

Kyoko felt very lucky the next day as she sat outside Ren's dressing room after his interview. She had been able to come over from her previous job to bring him these cookies. She wasn't sure whether she felt more nervous or excited. She was finally going to be able to tell the man she had fallen in love with how much he meant to her. It was either that he would tell her those three words as well or they would always have some awkwardness between them.

It was worth the risk though, she couldn't keep this hidden forever.

She stood immediately as she saw him exit and bowed nervously. "Tsuruga-san," she said as her hands trembled. She tried to hold the bag with the cookies in very still, she was scared what he would think when he opened them and took out one of the heart shaped cookies that had either a vanilla or chocolate frosting on them.

"Mogami-san," Ren smiled back in his cheerful way, "This is a surprise. When you ran away from me yesterday I was afraid that something was wrong. I assumed that you were in some kind of difficulty and had come to me for help. Do you still need some help?" he asked, "or advice?"

Kyoko shook her head before handing him the bag. "This is for you," she said as he took it with that eye blinding smile of his that made all of the flowers bloom.

"Thank you," Ren said as he held the bag in his hands. "Is it okay for me to open it?" he asked remembering how for his birthday, Kyoko had said that she didn't want him to open the gift because she'd be embarrassed.

"Y-Yes," Kyoko squeaked before seeing him undo the bag and his eyes lit up in surprise at the cookies inside. "I'm sorry, I know you don't really like sweet things but…"

"I can eat sweet things in moderation," he said as he looked the cookie over. He didn't want to raise his hopes and ask why she had used such a shape for him. There was probably some reason that didn't have anything to do with romance in it. He put it in his mouth before giving her a thumbs up and Kyoko closed her eyes.

"I know that this is an inconvenience to you," she apologized, "and maybe I shouldn't be saying this as a junior actor but I…I'm…I love you," she said as she saw Ren gulp in surprise. She looked up with tears in her eyes expecting to see a scolding face telling her how inappropriate that was to say.

Instead he looked speechless and confused, "Did you just…" he said before Kyoko looked down.

"I'm sorry," she apologized quickly, "Please don't hate me. I won't say it again. Let's pretend that this never happened," she said quickly. "I…"

"I love you, Kyoko" Ren said as she looked up at him with a bashful smile. She looked into his eyes and saw how honest he was being. "I have for a while now," he admitted.

"You don't need to lie and say that, I'm okay if you don't love me, it's really okay, let's forget that this happened," Kyoko said quickly afraid that the words which Ren would say next would indicate friendship or a professional relationship.

Kyoko froze as she felt Ren's hand on her cheek and he bent down, putting his hand on her chin to tilt her head up and kissed her very passionately and romantically. Kyoko felt the excitement almost drown her and she wrapped her arms around his neck wanting to continue that magic kiss.

"Does that prove to you how much I love you?" he asked her as Kyoko felt everything inside of her light up and chase all of those pesky demons away. She smiled at the man she adored.

"So," she attempted to say, "can you be my boyfriend?" she asked before being scared that a shadow had appeared on Ren's face.

"There is one more thing you need to know about me before you can be my girlfriend," he said with a deep breath in. "It's a secret that I need you to be extremely confidential about. If you accept that about me then I would be beyond thrilled to be your boyfriend."

Kyoko watched him, "I take it you don't want to say it here," she said as she looked around. This place wasn't the most quiet.

"Could you come back with me to my apartment?" he asked her knowing that Yashiro would be appearing at any moment. "It's not that I'm not really happy that we love each other, it's just that this is something I need to tell you about before we become an official couple."

Kyoko felt a shiver throughout her whole body. "Can you give me a clue?" she asked terrified. What if he said that he was a criminal or that he already had six wives. She should have expected the next words though because he had told her before.

"My real name isn't Ren Tsuruga."


	2. Chapter 2 - Kuon Hizuri

**Author Note:** Wow, pretty impressed with how many people actually at least clicked on this story in such a short time. I was going to try to wait a little longer to write Chapter 2 but you guys impressed me with the reviews, favorites, and follows. I really hope you enjoy this chapter just as much.

 **Chapter Two – Kuon Hizuri**

Kyoko felt her heart beat faster as she watched Ren open the door to his apartment. Although she was ready to accept whatever he told her, she was nervous about knowing his proper name. She remembered when she had tried, as Bo, to reveal Shoutaro's name and all the fangirls screaming that they didn't want to know. How come she felt the same way towards Ren? How come he was using this as a condition for them to be boyfriend and girlfriend, she could keep on pretending he was Ren Tsuruga.

She froze before noticing him holding the door open to her and nervously went in.

She would still want to be with him, wouldn't she? Kyoko thought to herself as she saw him gesture to the sofa in the living room and took him in. So, today she would finally find out his real name. Why did she feel so scared to know it?

"Would you like something to drink?" Ren asked as he took steady breaths to settle his nerves. "Can I get you tea or at least water?" he asked.

Kyoko watched him. Was it that his name was a little ridiculous? Had he been brought up by hippies who had called him Rain or Ocean or Woods. She couldn't imagine Ren Tsuruga having a name like Sunny Daye, but if that really was his name then she would want to be his girlfriend. Then again, what if he was scared because it was a Western name. Could he really be afraid if his name was Troy or Craig or Alex?

Alex might even suit him. She felt that Ren suited him the most, but with the brown hair and long legs she could imagine him with the name Alex. She knew he had grown up outside of Japan, or at least she had suspicions that he had.

Then again, what if it was some old fashioned name like Jiro or Akira or Satoru. At least that would be a Japanese name, she could date someone with any of those names no problem. Maybe the problem with his name wasn't the first name though, maybe it was his last or family name. Maybe he came from a crime gang or a circus act or a -

"Kyoko?" Ren asked again. "Are you sure you don't want anything to drink? I'd feel a bit easier if I could fix you something. My real identity might come as a bit of a shock to you," he said as he turned around.

"Uh, tea, tea would be good," Kyoko managed to get out as she sat on the sofa.

It was probably a famous last name right or a name of an infamous gang? Maybe he was the son of one of those mysterious serial killers and that name would destroy him in the acting field. What if he was the son of a cult leader or a famous politician who had gone corrupt.

Before she had realized how much time had gone by, she saw a tray in front of her with the tea on it and picked up the cup. Was this the moment of truth? Was this the moment that Ren Tsuruga stopped being Ren Tsuruga forever?

"Your name…" she said nervously, "It's not Princess Honeypot, is it?"

Ren's eyes widened as he looked at her. Did she think that his parents had named him a female stripper's name? Was that really what she thought he was hiding? Of course, if his parents had called him that then he would have legally changed his name as soon as he could. Forget about a stage name, he would no longer be able to live a daily life if he had such a ridiculous name.

"Did I…guess correctly?" Kyoko asked nervously as she saw the wide eyes he was looking at her with.

"No," he shook his head, "No, not at all. My name isn't something embarrassing like that. It's more that my name is…well there's a complicated history with my name. You've actually heard it before," he said weakly. "I know you'll have a lot of questions about it as well and I'm not sure if I can answer all of them."

"I've…heard it before?" Kyoko asked slowly as she tried to think of all the different names she'd heard throughout her life. He wasn't going to say that he was also called Shou, was he? Well, if he did then she would accept him. Just because two people shared a name didn't mean they shared a personality as well.

"Kyoko," he said as he knelt before her, "I've never really told anyone this, it has to be kept a secret, alright?" he asked as she nodded.

Okay, maybe he was a crime lord's son.

"Kyoko," Ren said as he steadied himself, "My real identity is…my name," he put a hand to the back of his neck as he struggled to get the words out. "I'm Kuon Hizuri."

Kyoko paled as each syllable of that name hit her ear. She stared into space as if her brain had just burst like a balloon. Her mind was completely blank. Had Ren Tsuruga just said what she thought he had said. No, she must have misheard him. He must have said something similar but she had just heard it wrong, "I'm sorry," she said as she raised a hand as if asking a question in class, "I don't think I heard you correctly."

Ren sighed and bowed his head, "I'm pretty sure that what you heard was correct," he said as he looked away.

"Well, would you mind repeating it?" Kyoko asked as she stared at him in shock. Had he just revealed that he was Kuu's biological son? Had he just said that he was part of a legendary acting family?

"I'm Kuon Hizuri," Ren said as Kyoko looked at him as if he had just turned into a space alien. "Yes, the same person who is son to Kuu and Julienna Hizuri. Yes, an American."

Kyoko blinked hard before her brain tried to match it up. She thought about all of the details of when Kuu had visited. Kuu had become desperate to confirm that Ren had said the feelings matched. Ren had appeared at the airport to see Kuu off. The description that Kuu gave definitely suited Ren.

"How?" she asked as he looked at her and took a deep breath in.

"When I was fifteen I felt stuck in the acting field, there were a few other things that happened, but I felt as if I couldn't progress as an actor. I got quite sad and distant, so my father contacted the president and he set things up for me here. Working under a stage name, I managed to grow as an actor without being connected to my father's name. I managed to get to the height of my career using my own talent and not family connection," he tried to tell her as he looked down. Maybe he shouldn't have told her this. What if she really did reject him for it and spread it around that Kuon Hizuri and Ren Tsuruga were the same person.

"You're a great actor though," she said as she looked him over.

So, she had known Kuu's son all along. She had acted beside him, talked to him, helped him, fallen in love with him. She wrapped an arm around herself. She felt like she wanted to throw up but not because she hated the idea. It was too shocking for her.

"Thank you," Ren - no Kuon said honestly. "Still, you must know how much a person's family name can affect them especially in the acting world," he attempted to tell her. He looked down, "Are you okay? I can…"

"Yes!" Kyoko nodded as she put a hand to her heart, "You can trust me to keep your secret for as long as you want," she said, "Even if you reveal yourself to be Kuu's son, I will still try to convince everyone that you are Ren Tsuruga," she said. "I give a vow upon my life that I won't reveal this information."

Kuon laughed weakly, "I'm not sure if you'd have to carry this secret for that long, especially after I've told the secret myself. However, it is my secret, I'd like to be the one to tell it."

"So, can I be your girlfriend?" she asked, "I accept you as Kuon Hizuri, though I do have to admit I have a lot of questions, but I do want you to be my boyfriend. I know that was a hard thing to tell…"

"There's another part to it as well," Re-Kuon said nervously and Kyoko paled. What else could he be hiding from her?

"Not only am I Kuon, but…when I was ten years old my family went on a trip to Kyoto. I loved nature so I always went exploring, well one of those times I managed to meet a six year old girl." Kyoko watched as he rubbed the side of his neck, "She was in love with her prince charming, we collected rocks that she said looked like hamburgers and eggs, she told me about how much she wanted to get 100%s so that her mother would love her, and….I…I told her I was a fairy prince who came from the fairy kingdom," he said honestly as Kyoko stared at him in shock.

"Well, when I was shooting as Cain Heel, I met this girl again and we spent some time together and I told her that I had Ren Tsuruga's face but…" he looked away as he saw all color wash out of Kyoko's body.

After a short time, Kyoko was finally able to breathe again. She stood, her legs shaking and pointed a finger in his direction. "You're telling me that you're Corn!?" she said in panic as he looked up at her nervously from where he was kneeling.

"Corn, Kuon Hizuri, and Ren Tsuruga are all the same person?" she asked him as he gave a weak and guilty smile. "You never told me any of this" she said as his expression turned even guiltier.

"When I first knew who you were, when you dropped the stone, you really hated me. I thought you'd changed but then as I got to know you I fell for you. I knew that you only did things out of obligation for me and to get points so I figured you'd have your memories spoiled if I told you. Then it seemed so important for you to believe that Corn was actually…" Ren tried to explain in a rush as he looked at her as if she was going to explode if he wasn't careful.

"You don't know how much this is making me…" she said as Ren sheepishly stared at her.

"I do apologize. Maybe if I had been braver I would have told you sooner and you wouldn't be upset. I should have realized that you might have been alright knowing that Corn wasn't a fai—" Ren said before feeling Kyoko hugging him, almost pushing him backwards with the force of it.

"You don't know how much this is making me love you," she said with tears in her eyes as he dared himself to hug her back. He had been waiting for this moment for a while, he just hadn't expected such a positive outcome. "I love you," she said as she pushed her face into his warm and broad shoulder. "How could I not be in love with my amazing Corn, the fantastic Kuon, the protective Ren."

"I love you too, Kyoko" he said as he moved her to sit on his lap as she curled into him.

"So, you'll be my boyfriend?" she asked as she tried to get rid of the happy tears.

Ren nodded, "I'll be your boyfriend," he replied as he held her closer and she kissed him.

Maybe there was some beauty in love after all.


	3. Chapter 3 - Her Boyfriend and His Girl

**Author Note:** Sorry for not updating this for a bit, I've been kind of depressed lately and wanted to focus on a main fic but now I am focusing on bulk uploads again of all my Skip Beat stories at once. I really hope you enjoy this chapter and I hope Kyoko is at least a little bit more in character. 😊

 **Chapter Three: Her Boyfriend and His Girlfriend**

Kyoko was scared as she entered the LME building two days after hearing Ren, no Kuon's secret. After such a long time she had finally convinced her feelings to him and he had accepted them. She felt a little odd that she was falling into such an unsafe pattern from her emotions. She had seen those stupid and foolish girls around her and she wished that she wasn't like them, but then again maybe her feelings for Corn would push her that way.

She would have to explain to Ren…Kuon…Corn that she loved him but she wasn't willing to go against her personality. If he wanted to be with her, he would have to be with the person that she was and not someone who would coo and go crazy over him all the time. He would have to understand that she had her own life and her own dreams and if he wasn't supportive then he could leave.

Then again, when had Ren ever not been supportive of her?

When had he ever not let her follow her passions? When had he ever expected her to be anyone other than her true self?

She had to remind herself that _that_ was the mature man she was dating now. He wasn't like Shoutaro. He valued her, respected her, loved her….or at least she thought he loved her. She hadn't seen him the previous day though he had called her the previous night and spoken to her, asking her how she was and how her day had been. He hadn't spoken about himself until she had asked him and then he had answered, giving her all of the information that she had requested.

Shou would have talked about himself without listening to much of what she had said. It was sometimes like she was invisible when she was with Shou, Kuon brought her into the spotlight.

As she walked to the elevator, she saw him coming in the opposite direction and she smiled, looking down and blushing as Ren…Kuon turned towards Yashiro. Kyoko didn't know how to approach him, was a hug too much? "Hello, Ren" she said as Yashiro glanced between the two of them. Kyoko usually would bow and use formalities, this time she was talking to him using a very soft voice and he was suspicious about how much she was blushing.

"Hello, Kyoko" Ren said in response as he watched her.

Yashiro's eyes widened. Ren didn't call Kyoko her name like that, it was always Mogami-san or Miss Mogami, it was never spoken so calmly and casually. There had to be something going on between the two of them.

"How has your day been so far?" Kyoko smiled as she made eye contact with her new boyfriend.

"Busy as usual," Ren laughed as he rubbed his back with a playful grin. "How about yours?"

"Not too bad," Kyoko said with her eyes directed to those brown color contacts. "I was told by Sawara-san that I had a new job offer. I've been told that it's from a girl who is not as evil as other characters I've played. I'm really surprised that they are alright with me not doing a dark role but I'm really looking forward to it."

Ren nodded and then continued to smile in the refreshingly blinding way he did when he was actually very very happy. "You'll let me know if you'd like to run lines, won't you?" he asked as Kyoko grinned.

"As happy as I am to hear that, Ren," she said as she bit her lip to stop his true name from escaping. "I'm not sure if it's something that you'd be interested in. The people that I'm working with are mostly women, I wouldn't want you to feel forced to create a female character."

Ren laughed softly, "This coming from someone who tried to have me teach them to be a female model," he said before pausing for a moment and then thought. "Kyoko, would you like to have dinner with me tonight?" he asked. He waited for an answer before hearing Yashiro cough.

"Oh Yashiro-san," Kyoko bowed acting more like herself. "I forgot to greet you. I am so sorry, that was such an error, you should tell Ren to lecture me on…"

Yashiro looked between the two of them. "Are you two dating?" he asked as Ren sighed and looked away and Kyoko stared at the manager with wide eyes.

"How…did you…" Kyoko said slowly as Ren laughed.

"Of course you'd be able to detect it, the first names must have really tipped you off," he said before standing behind Kyoko and wrapping his arms around her in the typical boyfriend-girlfriend pose. "You must really be happy right now, right?" he asked.

Yashiro rolled his eyes but a cheeky and playful smile graced his lips.

"So," Ren said before his manager could say anything, "Tonight, Kyoko, are you available for dinner?" he asked.

Kyoko paled a little not wanting to talk about her boyfriend's terrible cooking skills. Maybe they could cook together because she really was worried about eating something that bad on their first date. Was that how they were supposed to start this relationship? She would feel so much better if she could make something for him.

"There's a restaurant that I think you would love. I have a contact there so I can get us reservations for tonight," he offered as Kyoko sighed. Ren chuckled. "Don't worry, I wasn't planning on cooking. What kind of a boyfriend would that make me if I inadvertently poisoned you on our first date."

Kyoko closed her eyes before nodding. "Alright, I'll trust your decision on the restaurant. I would love to go out with you tonight," she said feeling the butterflies in her stomach already.

"I'll be looking forward to it," Ren nodded. "I'll come by and pick you up tonight, is seven alright?"

Kyoko nodded happily. "Perfect," she said before bowing to Yashiro. "Well there's somewhere I need to be right now. I'll make sure that I'm ready for when you pick me up, Ren," she said as she blushed again. Ren was always so wonderful to her, but maybe tonight would be extra special, after all she had learned that Ren Tsuruga…no Kuon Hizuri was a total lady killer.

…..

…..

As Ren and Yashiro walked to the car, Yashiro shot a look at his client and friend. He tilted his head to the side and watched Ren. "You look really happy," he said, "I'm glad. Hopefully this means you'll be able to do even more complicated roles. I am worried however."

Ren glanced at Yashiro and pointed a finger towards himself, "You are worried about…me?" he asked awkwardly. He had a puzzled look over his face as he tried to wonder what Yashiro would mean. "Am I doing something wrong by dating Kyoko?" he asked.

Yashiro hummed and then looked away. "I wouldn't say wrong and her vowing not to love another man is not what I'm worried about. Kyoko made that decision when she was younger, I'm sure that now she's eighteen she can think differently about things, but can you remember Valentines Day?"

Ren blinked, "The wine jelly incident?" he asked before trying to think over it. "You do understand that I'm not scared of Fuwa right. The guy is a jerk and was a very big part of Kyoko's past, but he doesn't intimidate me. I just think that he's a bit childish," he shrugged.

However, Yashiro sighed. "You're right, I'm not worried about you being rivals with Shou Fuwa despite how unpleasant I find it when he turns up uninvited and with a hidden agenda. Do you know how many women are attracted to you, some men as well. Do you remember when you had the entire room filled with chocolates and presents?" he asked as Ren paused.

"So, you're thinking that it's not alright for my image for me to have a girlfriend?" he asked. "I don't really care about that. I would rather date Kyoko than think about selling myself as a product that women can want to obtain."

"And Kyoko's image?" Yashiro asked as he closed in on the subject. "I'm worried that she'll get a lot of people angry at her for being the girl who dates Tsuruga Ren. Her career is still in year two, your career is still burning brightly. If this did affect the way that the public sees her, would you be able to help her with that?"

Ren stopped walking and looked down. "If Kyoko tells me that our relationship is becoming a hassle to her or an inconvenience, then I will respectfully step aside from her. However, I don't think that you are acknowledging her strength and passion. I don't think that people could physically hurt her and she's had to survive harsh comments before. Of course I will do anything I can to deflect that negative energy even if it means soaking it in myself. I will not let her be hurt because I love her, however, I guess that's why I have a manager, so that he can help me with that."

Yashiro raised an eyebrow, "Are you really okay to end a relationship with Kyoko once it has begun."

Ren looked away and sighed, "As much as it would hurt, I am not going to oppose her. If Kyoko gets hurt because of me and wants our relationship to end, I will respect her wishes but you should know that I have absolute no plans to end the relationship myself. I just trust her when she says that she will let me know her feelings."

Yashiro looked down and then nodded. He wasn't sure if Kyoko would ever explain her true feelings to him if she felt that the relationship should end. Kyoko wasn't the type of girl who would enjoy playing with a man's emotions, but if she did feel herself trapped, would she remain trapped? He didn't worry about Ren being the main cause of the relationship going through troubling times, but he hoped that they would stay together no matter what obstacles were in their way.

"Yashiro-san," Ren said as he looked towards his manager, "What is it that you want to say to me? What is it about my relationship with Kyoko, that you pushed for yourself on so many occasions that is causing you concern? I hope that it's not a bad opinion of me that is doing it."

Yashiro laughed, "Well, I've learned to keep my bad opinions of you to myself during the time when we've worked together," he joked in a way that Ren would know he was simply teasing him. "I am afraid of your fans though. When they see you and Kyoko together with the way that you look adoringly at her, the women will get even more excited. After all, it is only true that people want what they can't have."

Ren grinned playfully, "Let them because I finally have what I want. A girl that I will treat like the princess that she is.


	4. Chapter 4 - Natural Lighting

**Author Note:** I know this is a weird place to put this author note and for that I apologize. Yesterday I almost gave up on fanfiction since three people decided to contact me and tell me how they thought it was funny in a 'you're pathetic' way that I like doing rewrites. Well, I'm a perfectionist but I'm also emotional and impulsive due to a psychological disorder so the fact that I actually stated that this time I would be working on both fics, the old and the new, and still people attacked me for it really hurt.

If you want to see a schedule of my updates, then go and visit my profile. I'm very sensitive, probably overly sensitive, but I really did want to give up writing last night. Well, I hope you enjoy this chapter and I'm really sorry for babbling on in an author note.

 **Chapter Four – Natural Lighting**

Kyoko looked around her room at the Darumaya. She had taken down the Shou and Ren pictures and hidden the dolls already in case he wanted to take a look up and see her room, but she still didn't want him to think that she was poor. There weren't a lot of expensive items in here and the ones that were here all were gifts and most of them from her recent birthday.

She knew that Ren…no Kuon was very aware that they were both of different social classes, however that didn't mean that her lack of fashionable clothing wouldn't scare him off. She had stood in front of the mirror for a while trying to figure out which of her clothes she could wear for a date. She knew that Ren Tsuruga would take her out somewhere elegant and memorable, he would try to be romantic and really go in for the kill with some music being played on a Stradivarius.

Corn would take her somewhere outdoors where they could enjoy nature together. If she was with Corn then she would know it was a very casual moment and that Corn could be clumsy and silly but he would always have a cute smile on his face. He would tease her in other ways and she wouldn't have to dress too elegant.

Then again, there was always Kuon. She had seen slivers of Kuon before or at least Ren's other side when they had been acting together as the Heel siblings. She wondered if Kuon would have taken her out on a motorbike for a night of adventure where he'd try to sedu-no, Kyoko laughed weakly. Kuon was probably more like Kuu apart from with much less food.

Was there some kind of manual for dating a man who had three different personalities? Was there a guide for how to dress and then what if she started the date off with Ren but she left the restaurant with Corn and came back with Kuon. She laughed weakly as she thought about that.

Kuon didn't have multiple personalities, he just used a stage name. There may be subtle differences with all of them but they all were the same person, right?

Hearing a knock on the back door of the restaurant, Kyoko smiled at the cute skirt and blouse combo she had picked out in pastel colors with a white jacket and shoes. She hoped that she wasn't too ill fit for her new boyfriend. She blushed as she reminded herself of that fact. She had a boyfriend.

….

….

Okami-san heard the knock on the back door of the restaurant and then looked across at her husband who was getting together a bowl of fish. "Dear, Kyoko asked us not to give this one the fish test as he's taking her out to dinner. I wonder what type of nice and sweet boy she agreed to date," she mused. Kyoko hadn't said much about who she was going out with, she had just formally bowed and explained that she was going to be dating someone and that she would finish her work early if possible.

Kyoko had never dated before so it was very exciting for the female owner of the restaurant. She shuffled to the back door and opened it, her eyes widening at the man opposite.

Kyoko really was dating Ren Tsuruga!?

Ren stood there with a smile, he had a bouquet of flowers in one hand and a high price spice set in a box under his arms. He had managed to style his hair similar to the night when Kyoko's mother had denied her existence and he wore a leather jacket, white shirt, and formal black pants. He bowed and then gave a gentleman's smile.

"Here," he handed them to Okami-san with his gentleman smile. "I'm here to meet with Kyoko, I would really like it if I could date her," he said as Taisho watched him cautiously to which Ren gave another smile.

"You will eat the fish today," he said to Ren who paled slightly.

"Of course," he replied through his smile which seemed to annoy Taisho further. He sat down at a table as the fish was brought to him. He had practiced for this and he was going to devour this fish in the best way he could, a style of eating that would make his father proud of him.

As he was finishing, Kyoko came down and put a hand over her mouth to stop herself from laughing.

"I'm glad that you're being given another chance," she smiled as Taishou nodded, accepting the victory, "but you are Ren Tsuruga and your stomach can only take so much food. Probably because your mother made it such an ordeal for you as a child."

"An odd form of punishment that I still have nightmares about," Ren laughed before standing. "I'll make sure to take good care of her and I won't keep her out too late," he promised them before turning back to her. "You look beautiful as always, Kyoko" he said.

Okami-san looked at them before going over to her husband, "Is Tsuruga-san allowed to date women being an artiste?" she had to ask as Taishou frowned watching the two of them.

"Oh," Ren laughed not understanding the old Japanese custom about actors just as he hadn't understood the phrase when he had first met Bo. "Don't worry, I'm able to date women so I won't get her into trouble," he said before looking curiously at Kyoko.

"So you can work as an actor and still date women?" Okami-san said as Ren's eyes widened.

"Oh yes, I'm completely straight at least to the experiences I've had so far, I don't know entirely about my manager but it's not the kind of thing that you ask about," he smiled. "There are of course some Japanese actors who aren't heterosexual, but I'm only attracted to women," Ren attempted to explain as Kyoko looked between them.

"Well, we're heading out for the night, hope you have a good night and I'll make sure not to make a lot of noise when I come back," Kyoko bowed before directing Ren to the back door. "Did you really have to say that about Yashiro?" she asked him as Kuon blinked.

"Well, if Yashiro came up to me tomorrow and introduced me to his boyfriend then I'd applaud, there's nothing wrong with that. I grew up in LA, a lot of people in the industry are of different sexualities," Ren blinked as if it was that easy.

Kyoko shook her head before a playful smile came over her face, "Well, Ren. If I ever have to go under cover as a man for a long period of time, I might have to make you my boyfriend or life partner,"

"And I would be okay with that," Ren laughed honestly. "As long as it was you."

….

….

"Sir, madam," a French waiter said as Ren and Kyoko stood at the check in. It was of course a very high profile restaurant and everyone was staring at Ren Tsuruga with an actress that they kind of…sort of recognized. "Your private table," he led the two of them out to the balcony where they were surrounded by nature including a small river with fish in it.

Kyoko sat down and pulled her jacket around her as Ren raised an eyebrow.

"Oh god, are you cold? Sorry I thought this would be…" Ren quickly attempted to apologize but Kyoko shook her head.

"I'm so happy that I get to enjoy nature with you again…Corn," she whispered knowing that there was nobody around them. "This place really takes me back to when I first met you, my fairy prince."

Kuon smiled and bowed his head with a grin effectively switching to his real self despite having the appearance of Ren Tsuruga. "Kyoko, after we spoke this morning, well Yashiro brought up a good point and I think I'd like to ask you about it."

"Sure, I mean, if you feel like something Yashiro said is important to bring up then go ahead," Kyoko said nervously since usually Ren would just brush off some of the things that his manager said to him and wouldn't place any importance on it. It seemed that Yashiro had struck some kind of chord here though because Ren had obviously been triggered by it.

"If there are women who are jealous of you, if those women get…" Kuon tried and Kyoko laughed.

"I am in love with you, Re-Reon" she said teasingly, "So I say let them come. I don't care how many of those silly girls get mad at me because I'm the one who ended up with the prince. I don't care what they say about me, I care about what _you_ say about me. I care about you keeping me safe from them" Kyoko tried to explain honestly.

Kuon shook his head, "You're amazing," he laughed.

Kyoko looked down with a blush covering her face, she didn't know how to describe how amazing _she_ actually found the man in front of her. She wanted to match his praises but she didn't want to let her heart open all at once. She was glad that he was there though, if it was anyone else she would definitely not have felt this comfortable.

"Do you take a lot of women here?" she asked before pausing. That sounded very judgmental, maybe he thought that she was accusing him of being a date recycler or that he was hiding something.

"No, I actually haven't really dated anyone before as Ren Tsuruga. As, Ku…the other guy, yes, I've taken a girl to a restaurant like this, well not so much a restaurant but a picnic. It was terrible," he smiled to her and Kyoko felt herself at ease seeing him laugh at his own memories. "The girl complained the entire time about her hair, nature, the bugs that she thought she saw. Then she refused to eat any of the food that I'd purchased because she accused me of bringing dirty food. It was a real mess. I'm glad that you're not like that, Kyoko…really glad."

Kyoko smiled and put a hand out as she squeezed Kuon's. "I'm just glad that I'm with you…Reon," she tried again as he smiled at how she was attempting to combine the names. "It doesn't really matter where we are, of course this is beautiful scenery, but to me it doesn't matter where we are or what we do. What matters to me is who I'm with and I wouldn't pick anyone else."

Kuon nodded, he was relieved to hear that. "Well, how about if I let you pick the next date. As you said it doesn't matter where we are or what we do, the only thing that matters is that I'm with the woman I'm crazy about," he held her hand and lifted it so he could softly and affectionately kiss the back of it.

Kyoko blushed again but nodded as she started to put together a plan. "Could I borrow your spare key?" she asked as Kuon nodded and got it out without questioning her on her motives. "I've thought about what I want to do for our next date, but I need to know your schedule as well."

"Of course," Kuon nodded, "I mean, I can tell you my schedule as Ren. If you've noticed, I've slipped out of his character for a moment," he laughed as Kyoko smiled.

"I want to fix you dinner, Reon" she smiled. She liked saying this. She knew that the world wasn't allowed to know that Ren Tsuruga and Kuon Hizuri were the same person, but she desperately wanted to call him Corn and Kuon. Saying Reon might attract some weird looks, but it could easily be passed off as just a very strange way of saying Ren's name.

"Alright, I'll look forward to it," Kuon grinned before looking down at the menu.

As delicious and expertly cooked as this food was, Kuon and Ren were both looking forward to whatever Kyoko would choose to cook much more. Her food really did taste better than anything else.


	5. Chapter 5 - I Don't Have a Boyfriend

**Author Note:** I hope you enjoy this. This chapter is going to show one of the biggest trials in this fic which will show you how much tamer than my other fics that I'm trying to make it. Also, I had a question about the last chapter with the actors not being able to date. This was in the 35th volume of the manga as an omake. I actually don't base things from after the Momiji chapters because of how aggravating I find reading Skip Beat on a monthly basis. I started to read in, I believe 2009, when chapters of the manga sometimes came out twice a month. It was really tiring to keep up with especially due to the lack of activity in some chapters. Now I try to read a bunch at once.

Well, I hope you enjoy 😊

 **Chapter Five – I Don't Have a Boyfriend**

The next day, Ren couldn't keep the smile off of his face. He was dating a girl that he had liked since he was a ten-year old. Thankfully at eighteen and twenty-one the age difference wasn't too bad. Soon he would be twenty-two, but even that wasn't too bad. It wasn't as if she were considered under age any longer.

As he walked with Yashiro for his next job, he saw his manager staring at him with a playful grin on his face. Ren blinked and then sighed, he knew exactly what Yashiro was thinking. "Are you wanting to hear about my date with Kyoko?" he asked even though it was obviously true. He laughed before offering a small smile. "Will you be satisfied with just hearing that it went well and she and I are very happy right now?"

Yashiro raised an eyebrow, "Well, that's a start but I'm desperate for details. I mean, this isn't just any girl that you've gone on a date with. This is _Kyoko_ , this is a girl that I feel I had a hand in setting you up with," he said before pouting. "Of course I'd like to hear more."

"I think you give yourself too much credit," Ren said with a smile as Yashiro paused and then looked away with a weak chuckle. "I mean, she and I got to know each other very well as the Heel siblings." Ren knew that he couldn't talk about their meeting when they were children or the fact that he was Kuu's son. Those were definitely important things in his relationship with Kyoko, but they didn't need to be made public…at least not yet.

"You're still thinking about her, I can see that grin on your face," Yashiro commented.

Ren laughed softly, "You know," he said with a nod, "You're right, but you told me before that when my face is like this, interviews and even filming go better. I wouldn't want to disappoint the hosts or the director."

Yashiro hummed and nodded, "I suppose that's true. So, are you seeing her again tonight?"

Ren shook his head, "I finish about ten and I think that would be too late to impose upon the couple that she's staying with. I don't want to give them the impression that I feel like I can take Kyoko out at any hour. I was thinking of going shopping after work, however."

Yashiro laughed at this, "You want to find a gift for your girlfriend," he teased before thinking realistically, "You do know that even if she is your girlfriend, Kyoko-chan is going to be unwilling to accept anything which is too expensive."

Ren laughed, "How do you know that she will be aware of how much it actually costs," he said before smiling at the ground thinking about Princess Rosa and the story about Queen Rosa. That had been a gift that had cost him a lot of money, but he had managed to weave that story around the gift and made it one of her favorite possessions. Surely, he could do that again.

He was, of course, the fairy prince named Corn.

Yashiro smiled, "Well, I hope for your sake that everything goes okay," he said as Ren nodded.

"So do I."

…..

…..

Kyoko always felt a little nervous because of interviews, but she didn't know why they wanted to do a profile of her now. Ren had told her on the phone that this particular talk show liked interviewing stars who had just turned eighteen. This was the age when a lot of students would either have finished school or be finishing school and therefore be free to tackle longer projects, more challenging projects, or just projects that were more high profile.

She had already been in Dark Moon which was still being discussed as one of the best Japanese dramas. Then her Natsu character had drawn a lot of attention and so had one of the roles she had just accepted. She was nervously _especially_ with one of the questions that this very indiscreet woman enjoyed asking.

Did she have a boyfriend?

She was prepared to tell the country that she was the lucky girl who was able to hold Ren Tsuruga's hand in public. Or rather…she had been prepared.

She didn't know whether it was the pressure of being the first person who said it which worried her or if she would disappoint those in Japan. She also kept thinking of when people would bully her in school because she was close to Shou. She had the feeling that a lot of people had grown up and weren't bothered by who was dating who anymore, but what right did she have to think that.

Then there was the issue of Shoutaro who had told her that she shouldn't fall in love with Ren and she had lied and said that she never would. She didn't really understand _why_ she had said that, but this wasn't about why and why not certain events were happening, this was about the fact that even though she had sworn off love, she had succumbed to it.

Would Ren really be upset if she wanted to hide their relationship?

Would she be a burden to him and he would break up with her thinking that she didn't want to be with him?

She had to keep thinking that Ren was an adult, he was mature, he wouldn't have a childish tantrum because she refused to drop his name in the conversation. That seemed the easier thing to do, to try to proceed during the interview without even mentioning his name. She could think about him, but she wouldn't air those thoughts especially through an interview.

If she needed to apologize to him afterwards then she would.

She just wasn't ready to let the world know about something so special to her, something she treasured so much. It just wasn't their business to get involved in.

…..

…..

Kyoko was glad that the question about her personal life hadn't entered the conversation, at least not yet. Maybe they viewed her as a professional already. She had been in dramas since she was sixteen after all and now she only had two more years of being a teenager. She smiled happily as she answered questions about her acting technique, what plans she had for the future, her dream roles.

Then it had happened. Kyoko knew that she wouldn't be lucky enough to escape the one question this host liked to ask every guest.

"So, Kyoko-chan, do you have someone special in your life?"

Kyoko froze. She looked down and then shook her head. Okay, that was a quick decision to make although she wondered what would happen if Ren…no, Kuon later caught this interview. Would he be mad at her for lying? Would he consider it unprofessional how she hadn't told the truth on live TV?

She was nervous about a lecture from Ren Tsuruga. She was even more worried that she had emotionally hurt Kuon Hizuri.

"No, I don't," Kyoko replied though her heart squeezed in her chest a little. "Right now I really am concentrating more on my acting than having a love life. I feel that right now I have to concentrate on my work, to get distracted by a romantic interest might jeopardize my work as an actress."

"Fair enough," the woman smiled. "I think I like that answer, so many young girls of your age are rushing into relationships. It's nice to meet someone with a good and logical head on your shoulders."

Kyoko froze. This felt even worse than if they had continued the questions about her love life. These compliments that she was receiving only made her feel guiltier about not talking about Ren. She was lucky enough to have Ren Tsuruga think she was beautiful and be in love with someone like her. To be told that it was better for her not to be with him really hurt.

She would have to talk to him. Maybe before Valentines Day they could come out and tell everyone. Then again, would Ren say that she had just lied to all of Japan and about Ren Tsuruga no less. She froze and tightened up in her posture.

"So, do you think that you'd ever find someone or are you a career girl?" the host asked.

Kyoko felt her body relax. This was a question that she was more than happy to answer. She could sidestep the fact that she had already had a first date with her boyfriend and she wouldn't have to deny his existence in her life.

"If I met the right person, the right man, I think I could fall in love for the first time. When I was sixteen I swore off love, I think acting has helped me open my heart. Still, if I _did_ have a boyfriend, I would only find someone worthy, someone who I trust with my whole heart and someone I know wouldn't hurt me. I mean, if I had a boyfriend, I would want to show him how much I love him and how much he means to me and I would never want to hurt him," Kyoko said honestly as she snuck a look at the camera hoping that if Ren…Kuon did see this that he would know that she wasn't trying to shove him away and that she cared about him as much as she had told him.

"You _are_ a romantic inside," the host said. "I'm glad to see a more open Kyoko."

….

….

Yashiro watched Ren as he stood looking at the TV screen. Even though he knew that Kyoko was wanting to hide their relationship, she had delivered to him a love message which was cloaked in hypotheticals. He understood _why_ she had denied her relationship with him. She was still fairly new in the acting field whereas he was still at the top. He just wished that he hadn't taken her to such a public place for their first date. From now on he would have to be more careful.

"I don't know how you can smile so much," Yashiro pouted. "I don't think that I would be able to smile like that if someone that I loved flatly denied the fact that you are her boyfriend."

Ren laughed, "I think that Kyoko handled that interview very well, it only reminds me that I have to be more secretive. It's not as if she said that she didn't love me."

Yashiro frowned, "Weren't you listening? She had the chance to say that she was dating you and that the two of you were in a romantic relationship."

Ren raised an eyebrow, "Could you define what kind of romantic relationship you are referring to?" he asked, "Kyoko and I haven't passed that line yet, I don't think we will for some time as well. Kyoko is a shy and pure girl, I am willing to take my time with her and let her control the pace of our relationship. I'm not such an animal that I can't suppress my desires though you have said otherwise."

"I'm not talking about intimacy," Yashiro frowned. "You talk so much like a Westerner, Ren, you need to be careful about that."

Ren laughed. "Well, if you're talking about kissing and holding hands, then we can do that in private. It doesn't matter who knows and who doesn't know as long as I know and she knows, who cares about everyone else?"

"Well, I think it would do well for your image to know that you can open yourself up to women," Yashiro frowned.

"I care much more about Kyoko's image. Now, should we get going, I don't want to be late for the next job," he said as Yashiro sighed but nodded accepting that things might not go as smoothly as he thought. Ren though was so in love with the younger woman that he didn't care if he had to keep this as a secret. Maybe there was more between the two of them than he thought possible.


	6. Chapter 6 - A Handshake

Author Note: I hope nobody gets too bored with this chapter, but I like it. Sometimes it feels really good to do something much simpler. I also was let know that I need to work a bit more on my Yashiro characterization so I hope I've captured him a bit better in this chapter. Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy it.

 **Chapter Six – A Handshake**

So, today was going to be their second date and during that date, Ren wanted…or rather Kuon wanted to discuss with Kyoko the parameters of their relationship. As he had told his manager nearly a dozen times, he didn't know what they were supposed to say about their relationship, but he did know that he was going to let Kyoko lead the media's interest in the way that _she_ wanted to. The only thing that he would object to was being cast as the antagonist.

He was trying to think of what Kyoko would get up to in his apartment before he came home. He had spent about half an hour that morning making sure that everything was in the right place. He trusted her not to go around opening drawers and cupboards and spying on him, but he had taking precautions anyway.

Kyoko wasn't that type of a person to invade his privacy. It was most likely the fact that she did care about the privacy of others that made it so she couldn't take their relationship public. Nothing wrong with that.

Ren parked his car at TBM where he was doing an interview himself and before getting out of the car, turned to his manager in the seat beside him who was looking very much like a fangirl. He sighed before speaking with one tired word, "What?"

"I'm so excited for you," Yashiro said. "It must feel so special for you to know that when you get back you'll see Kyoko there. I wonder if she'll be wearing an apron and would make a special omelet with rice in the shape of a heart."

Ren shook his head, "Yashiro, though there is a chance that Kyoko would be wearing an apron, I don't think she'd go around making things like that. Of course, I don't know what goes on in her fantasy world so there is a chance, but please stop speculating on our relationship and turning Kyoko into one of those girls in a romantic comic book."

Yashiro rolled his eyes, "I doubt that you didn't think about the possibility of her looking cute and giving you the food with a smile on her face and saying, 'Please Ren, take this food I made just for you.'" He smiled playfully as he saw Ren imagining it for a moment. "See, I knew that you had thought about it."

"Thinking about it and discussing it are two different things, Yashiro, you should realize that," Ren said as he exited the car. "I mean, if Kyoko did hear you she would think of you talking about her in such a manner as disrespectful. Please try to learn more about ladies," he advised as Yashiro stared at him with a dropped jaw.

"Me?" he asked as he placed a hand on his chest, "Are you, Ren Tsuruga, really telling me that _I_ should learn more about women. I think that your ego has grown bigger since you started dating her," Yashiro pouted as Ren ran a hand through his hair as a gust of wind blew through it.

"You know what," he grinned happily. "I think you're right. Being with Kyoko makes me feel absolutely incredible even if nobody else is allowed to know the reason."

Ren continued smiling as he approached the studio and then caught Kyoko outside wearing a simple but cute outfit. He grinned as he saw her, "Hey there," he said before seeing her eyes get a little bit wider as she looked from side to side as if seeking out any reporters. "How are you, Kyoko-chan?" he asked with his gentleman smile to avoid looking concerned.

He saw Kyoko tense up a little as she looked at him. They had spoken on the phone after the interview and she was hoping that he hadn't felt bad about her denying him as her boyfriend. He had said that he understood if she was uncomfortable stating that fact especially on national TV and that he would be as patient and discreet as she wanted him to be. She had felt that he had been _too_ nice about that and now with that fake smile she was scared that he had lied to her.

"Is anything wrong?" Ren repeated as he turned his face into that which showed more concern for his girlfriend, he reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Kyoko?" he tilted his head to the side as he showed that he _was_ worried about her.

"Kyoko, is everything okay? Aren't you happy to see Ren?" Yashiro asked as Kyoko stiffened and both men could see the cogs working in her brain.

Kyoko looked at her boyfriend, now she had caused him to be troubled about her. She wanted to hug him and tell him that she was okay but then what if the cameramen found that out. Going into a bow might show submission as well and she definitely didn't want _love_ to be the reason for her doing that. It was good in public, yes, but it made her think of how much she wasted on Shoutaro. Kuon was more deserving of course, but she still didn't want to fall into that trap.

Instead she reached out her hand for a handshake, "It's good to see you again, Ren," she said stiffly as Yashiro and Ren both stared at the offered hand.

"Kyoko, are you feeling alright?" Yashiro asked as he looked at the both formal and very informal gesture. He watched as Ren finally caught onto the fact that he had paused and was looking at her blankly and shook her hand as well, this time placing one hand on the backs of hers as well.

He saw the smile across his client's face as he replied to his girlfriend, "Yes. I'm happy to see you as well, Kyoko," he said before bending down and whispering in her ear. "Is everything okay? I didn't do anything that made you uncomfortable, did I?"

Kyoko's back straightened and she looked up into Ren's eyes. "Nothing at all is wrong," she told him. "You really are a Prince Charming, Ren-san" she blushed as he looked at her with a nod.

"Should I be expecting something good to happen at my apartment tonight, Kyoko-chan?" he asked not really intending the second meaning. As soon as he saw her pale face he kicked himself. He was trying to ask her if she would really be coming over that evening, but he had tried to do it in such a vague way that he couldn't blame her for thinking he was referring to something else.

"No. I'm sorry. I know that you've had -" Kyoko said as she thought about the emperor of the night. Just because she became an older man's girlfriend, did that mean she had to let him have access to her body as well?

"I'm sorry." Ren apologized, "I wasn't asking about something like that, I was mainly asking if I should expect someone special to me to be making me a meal tonight. I wasn't asking about that kind of …dessert."

Kyoko smiled in relief, "If that's so then yes you should," she said as Yashiro stared at the actor with a horrified expression.

"You _really_ need to watch what you say, Ren" he said. "I've told you to try to behave less like an American."

Ren shared a smile with Kyoko as they both knew the secret that Yashiro was an outsider to.

….

….

Kyoko let herself into Ren's…Kuon's apartment after she had changed into some clothing that would be ideal for a date with her boyfriend. She was carrying two bags of groceries since Ren had told her that he wasn't sure what he had on hand for her to make anything. She was happy to have gone shopping for groceries. When she had gone with Ren the first time she realized that there was a lot that his upbringing hadn't led to him knowing.

Although, one day she would love to have Kuon know how to cook well enough to make a meal that Kuu would love and that he would actually think tasted good. She could imagine Ren…Kuon in these family reunions and she only wished that she would be there with him when he did meet his parents as himself.

She looked around to see that Ren had made a good effort to hide away some of the items that she had remembered from before. If she hadn't given him enough time to prepare, then maybe he would have left her some clues to his past.

Now that she knew what his real name was, she was even more curious in what kind of secrets his past contained, but she would have to ask _him_ about them and then wait to see if _he_ actually wanted her to know them. For someone who couldn't even admit in an interview to having a boyfriend, she had to try to understand that there were some pieces of himself that she didn't know.

She set down the bags and started taking the groceries out. She had decided to make a four course meal. Maybe Ren would prefer eating four smaller meals rather than just one large meal, it might be easier on his stomach to digest as well.

She was going to start off with some miso soup. This was a good choice since there wasn't anything fried in there and it would help start the meal off with a refreshing cleanser. She didn't think that Kuon would object to that. Then there was a simple salad without much dressing. She had picked out some vegetables that were both seasonal and weren't too filling.

Then she had decided to cook chicken udon. She wasn't going to make too much of it and she would make sure to keep a check on her boyfriend's face to see if he was forcing himself to eat it. Kuon had a rather irregular eating pattern so that was something that she would have to observe to get the hints on when he was actually hungry but too lazy to get anything and when he felt he was suffocating from too much food. She was glad that she had known that about him before.

The last part of the meal was something that was a personal test to herself. She hated the idea that she was going to be treating a man that she had fallen in love with like a test subject, but she wanted to see his reaction. She was making pudding, the same pudding that Shou secretly liked.

Did it really matter how much Kuon liked this as well? She didn't quite understand why she was testing him to see what kind of food he liked or if he was like Shoutaro. She knew that he wasn't. Kuon wasn't that selfish and he had never really hurt her, or at least he had only hurt her with his cutting words that she had deserved at the time. She also knew from reflecting on how much she liked Kuon that what she had felt as a child wasn't love, it was her trying to find an escape route from a terrible reality.

Hopefully in a few months, she would tell the world about her relationship with Ren and Kuon would become her reality. If things were going as wonderful as this, she wasn't going to be afraid of even moving in with him. She wanted to know everything about him. Her Ren. Her Corn.

Her Kuon.


	7. Chapter 7 - The Sweet Life

**Author Note:** Sorry for the long wait between updates, I've been sick/depressed/busy and haven't been able to get the new chapter out to you guys. I really hope that you enjoy it.

 **Chapter Seven – The Sweet Life**

Kyoko took slow steps around Kuon's apartment. She wasn't one of those stupid girls who would open up drawers and cupboards to try to spy on her boyfriend. She even felt guilty that the world didn't recognize Kuon, or even Ren, as her boyfriend but she wasn't ready for that. She was already putting the salad in the fridge along with a light dressing and sorting to the other courses on the menu.

She tested the soup. She knew that he wasn't much of a fan of sweet things so maybe if she made the udon more on the saltier side it would help, but then too much salt wasn't good either. Kyoko absent mindedly made a rose with a daikon as she watched the soup and tried to decide what to add to it. She only hoped that she could impress him with her cooking skills.

He had taken her out to a nice formal restaurant with an amazing view.

She wanted to create just as amazing a date night for him. She hoped that everything she did would be good enough. When she was a young and foolish girl, she had loved making things with Shou in mind. She had been transported back to that time several times already, but for some reason making food for Kuon actually made her feel more confident and happier. She looked down at the dishes and grinned softly.

She looked up as soon as she heard a key turn in the lock and turned to bow.

"Welcome home," she grinned as she felt the apron brush against her legs. Would he think that this was too immature? Was she too immature or knew too little about acting to be his girlfriend? Would he become bored of her and send her away? She hoped not.

She looked up and was blinded by his smile.

Thank _god_ he didn't have his blond hair and emerald eyes right now, she wouldn't be able to take that smile if he did.

"It's nice to see you, Kyoko-chan" Ren grinned to her as he looked around and put his bag down by the door, removing his shoes before stepping inside. "You got in and found everything alright?" he asked as he closed the door and managed to store his bag, taking out his contact case and a couple of scripts to read through.

"Of course," Kyoko grinned, "I have been here before, you know," she joked lightly as he laughed.

"I haven't forgotten about that," he nodded. He gave a soft smile, "Do you mind if I take out my contacts?" he asked, "I usually try not to but I've been told that I should give my eyes a bit of a rest, besides you'll be my cover," he joked with her.

Kyoko blushed as those emerald eyes flashed through her mind. She felt her stomach tighten and heartbeat quicken at the same time with how anxious and yet excited she was. This was going to be strange with the Ren hair and the Corn eyes. "Go ahead, I'll set the table," she said as he looked over to her.

"Do you need any help?" he offered as she shook her head.

"Don't be silly, Ku-on" she said as she blushed having said his proper name. She would really have to get used to saying it and to be careful never to say it outside of this apartment. She waited and saw him smile too so felt relieved over _his_ reaction to it. "I wanted to make dinner for the person I care for, so I want to do it myself."

"Okay," Ren smiled, "Then I'll look forward to it. Even if you had burned it, I would still be very excited to eat it," he said before going to the bathroom and taking his contacts out, setting them beside the mirror and the sink. He ran his hand through his brown hair a few times which gave it a cute, more untidy look.

As he opened the door, he came over to her and saw her breath catch in his throat. "What?" he laughed as he saw her just staring at him with wide eyes. "It looks that bad?" he asked as she stared down.

"Of course it's not bad," Kyoko said as her cheeks turned a deeper shade of red, "It's just that now I feel so silly for not noticing it before. I mean, if I had really thought about it and not believed in the magic…"

"you would not be Kyoko Mogami," Kuon smiled before seeing the food at the table. "Is it ready?" he asked with a smile as Kyoko nodded. "Then shall we sit down and eat, Kyoko?" he asked as she looked at him with a huge smile. Those emerald eyes only reminded her with every time she looked into them that _this_ was the man she was meant to be with.

Kyoko nodded and watched as Kuon picked up the bowl of miso soup, she picked up her own as well but just kept watching him. It was the way that his eyes seemed to float above the bowl as he drank his soup that kept her mesmerized. She was excited to see the light in them, but she couldn't help the excitement that came from knowing she was here with someone of such importance to her. She drank her own soup, it tasted good to her.

She smiled at him as he looked down showing his own sense of insecurity, something that Ren Tsuruga effectively kept hidden.

"Is it that much of a distraction to you?" he asked, "Do you want me to put the contacts back in because I can," he said as he gestured to the bathroom.

Kyoko quickly shook her head as she started eating her salad. "Please don't do that," she said trying to make sure that her posture was good and she wasn't looking into those hypnotizing eyes too closely. She looked down at his hands and watched as he ate the salad.

Good, two of the dishes had proven as effective.

Hopefully the rest of the meal would work out for the two of them as well. She would have to make sure that Kuon ate more dinners like this. She grinned at him, just watching him. "I think…" she said slowly, "can we wait until Valentines Day and maybe make it official just before then?" she asked as he nodded.

"That sounds fine," he grinned. "Whenever you feel confident doing so we can announce it. Some couples keep their relationship hidden for years. Although I do think it would be strange if we kept it secret for a few years."

"Can I tell Father?" Kyoko asked as she saw Kuon close his gorgeous eyes and laugh a little. "He did tell me that I can phone him and he even gave me a number for an internationally dialing card so it doesn't cost much at all."

"As long as you tell him how you'd like it to remain private then that's fine, but I will tell you, knowing him, you have to have everything planned out before you can give him news like that. I can still remember him going on about how I was going to graduate from middle school, not that everyone else wasn't graduating as well," Kuon smiled before he thought about how his father had never really been able to celebrate his high school graduation. He knew that Lory would have told him the news, but it wasn't the same.

"Kuu's a good father," Kyoko said before looking down. She felt guilty that he was experiencing such guilt during their second date together. "Kuon," she said as she reached for his hand and squeezed it. "You know, it doesn't matter to me what happened which caused you to come back to Japan, I'm just glad that it did happen. Whether or not you tell me why is up to you, but let's just enjoy our time together," she tried to say supportively.

Kuon nodded gratefully, "Thank you, Kyoko," he said as he thought for a moment. "Some day soon I might be able to tell you, but not just yet. It's pretty hard for me to open that part of myself and you've seen how I can get trapped if I concentrate on it too much. So, anything that you'd like to…"

Kyoko paled and nodded. "Uh, yes…" she said as she looked down.

She really really hoped that he wouldn't hate her for telling him this. She didn't want to be kicked out of his apartment and told that she wasn't fit to be his girlfriend. This had been a secret that in the past she would have taken to her grave but he had already told her so much about himself, she had to at least show that she could reciprocate the motion.

"I have a truth to tell you and I'd really like it if you could hear me out before you say anything, I'm sorry if this makes you angry," she apologized as Kuon hummed and looked at her concerned.

"What is it?" he asked with his head tilted to the side.

"Uh…" Kyoko looked down before closing her eyes, "I've had a job for over a year that I haven't told you about," she said awkwardly before seeing Kuon continue to watch her. He had picked up his phone to search the title and she looked down, closing her eyes. "I'm the mascot for Kimagure Rock," she said as she anxiously tensed her body.

Kuon went online and searched up the name of the show before giving a long dramatic sigh. Kyoko kept her eyes closed. He _was_ disappointed in her lying to him wasn't she.

"You know," he said as he stared at his phone, "I am really really disappointed," he put two fingers to his forehead and shook his head just as he had done in so many of Kyoko's nightmares. "I mean, this breaks my trust in this subject."

"I'm…" Kyoko squeaked before his next words allowed her to relax.

"I really did think that there were such things as talking roosters," he laughed as he smiled to her and shrugged. "I'm sure you had a good reason for interrogating me?" he asked with a playful grin.

Kyoko looked down, "I mainly did it because I didn't feel comfortable helping you as a junior actor. For some reason you liked Bo, you were honest with Bo. I didn't think you would be honest with me."

Kuon nodded, "Well, I like it," he gave her a thumbs up, "You did a great job."

Kyoko rolled her eyes, "I'm not sure if you're mocking me or not," she said before seeing that he really wasn't angry with her about it. Maybe it was because the two of them had lied with the same purpose, to protect their true identities.

Kyoko smiled weakly, she still felt guilty about it but she just hoped he wasn't angry, she wasn't sensing any anger from him at least. "So, I've got one last course," she said as she stood up to get the puddings. She came back and put a small one in front of Kuon and then watched him.

"You do know that now I can't eat tomorrow," he said as she raised an eyebrow.

"Really, because I put leftovers in the fridge and I expect you to eat them. Yashiro-san would get annoyed with me if he knew I hadn't provided you with food for a couple of days at least."

Kuon laughed before taking a bite of the pudding. He ate in and smiled at her. "That was delicious," he said as she paused, "I mean, you do realize I don't eat many sweet things and I definitely don't eat a lot of puddings but I think these were so delicious because you made them," he told her as she looked down.

Maybe that was the reaction that she was looking for, "So, you really like them? You're not one of those guys who doesn't like pudding?" she asked as he blinked in bewilderment.

"No, I'm…" he shook his head, "What do you mean guys who don't like pudding?"

"Well, some people prefer to not like pudding," Kyoko tried to explain without ruining the night by bringing up _his_ name, "because they want to look cool to their fans."

Kuon laughed, "Wow," he smiled, "Well I never seemed to be a guy with an image problem," he laughed. "I don't care if people know I like you're pudding, Kyoko" he said as he took another bite. "Of course, even if I was a huge pudding fan, there are ways to spin it. Advertisements for example, guest spots on cooking shows, girls thinking that you have a cute side as well. I prefer to be myself, or…Ren Tsuruga," he joked.

Kyoko smiled. Okay, he was a _lot_ better than Shoutaro.


	8. Chapter 8 - New Openings

**AN:** I hope that you guys enjoy this chapter. I'm not sure whether it's because of the heat or because of politics, but I had a lot of trouble writing this chapter. I hope that it's okay and that you enjoy it though 😊

 **Chapter Eight – New Openings**

Kyoko's eyes widened as she entered TBM and turned to the Ishibashi group. She wasn't sure where their excitement was coming from. They had been this way about guests before, of course they had, but this was different. She wondered who they had scheduled. "Hi," she said with a nervous smile not sure what she was to expect. "How are you guys…"

"We got him to come on!" Hikaru grinned widely as he looked at the younger woman. Kyoko tilted her head to the side. Why didn't people just come out directly when they had news that was apparently very big? Why didn't these guys just say the name of the person that they were going to be interviewing. "I can't believe it, he's a…"

"Leader is a very big fan of Tsuruga Ren" Yuusei grinned as he gave a thumbs up to Kyoko who smiled softly.

"Oh," she smiled feeling a sense of relief. If she hadn't had gathered up the courage to let Ren…Kuon know that it was her inside the Bo suit then this situation might have become incredibly awkward. As it was, the fact that Kuon knew exactly who the mascot was made it so that Kyoko was as excited as the Ishibashi boys seemed to be. "That's great that Tsuruga-san said yes."

"I've been telling you that we should have invited him on for a long time," Shinichi grinned. "Guy kept politely turning down our invitations and then he says that he might have found time in his schedule and he'd love to come on if we would have him."

"Of _course_ we would have him," Hikaru said as his smile widened even more, "He's Ren amazing Tsuruga."

Kyoko blushed a little as she looked down. Due to her worry about how to address Ren herself, she had forgotten the big deal that he was to other people. She felt happy that Corn was so beloved. He deserved that. After all Corn had spent so much time listening to her and helping her, this was only right to happen to him. "I think Tsuruga-san will enjoy being on TV."

"Are you going to ask him to spill on his new girlfriend?" Shinichi asked and Kyoko looked up at the group.

Had Ren really told reporters about their relationship? He wouldn't do that, would he? He had promised to try to be patient with her and show her support and understanding. Why would he change his mind and not even let her know?

Kyoko looked down trying to remain very still as the ideas circled around in her head. Was this a test to whether or not she could actually be his girlfriend? She wanted to, but it was scary committing to somebody else. Why would he do that without -

"That would probably be very rude, wouldn't it?" Hikaru asked, "He always denies that he's going out with Honoka-chan despite how much she says she loves working with him. I don't know if there's anything going on there and I don't feel comfortable asking about it."

"Imagine the ratings if we were the first in the whole of Japan to expose it," Yuusei said as he looked up with stars in his eyes. That would bring their show a lot of attention. Not only would they have star power but they would have revealed a celebrity couple before anyone else had confirmation.

Kyoko had her hands to her side and she looked down. "I doubt that Tsuruga-san is dating Honoka-san," she said as she kept her eyes trained onto the floor so the three men couldn't see her tense and mixed up emotions. She didn't want anyone to know she was Ren's girlfriend just yet, but the idea of people thinking that someone else was hurt even more.

"Oh, that's right," Yuusei said with a grin, "You're really close with Tsuruga-san, aren't you?"

Kyoko nodded silently, still unsure what words to use in response to them.

"So you'd know who he was referring to on that interview, that special person he cares for deeply," Shinichi grinned as Kyoko smiled, her cheeks turning redder. He had actually said he had someone special. "Although he didn't really say whether they were a friend or a partner."

Kyoko nodded before looking down and taking deep breaths to steady herself. "He'd be talking about…me…" she looked up quickly to see the surprise on Yuusei's and Sinichi's faces and the disappointment on Hikaru's. "If you could please keep it a secret, then that would mean a lot to me," she dropped into a bow. "We're not ready for the general audience to know. I'd really appreciate it if you didn't tell people that he's my boyfriend."

"Of course not," the three men all said together as Kyoko looked down with a happy smile.

Maybe if she could trust them, soon she could trust Japan and that would make Kuon happy.

…..

…..

Ren looked up at his manager as Yashiro showed him the latest scripts for him to check out. These were different though, two of them were in the United States and the second was in the United Kingdom. He looked up at his manager. "I thought I was already working on a…"

"None of these roles start until March, but I thought that I'd surprise you with these international offers. I'm not sure I trust these producers, but finally the Western world seems to have noticed your talent, Ren," he commented as Ren felt a smile spread over his face.

He couldn't believe that his dream was so close to fruition, but then again, what would happen to his relationship with Kyoko if he just decided to head overseas and put so much distance between them. Maybe if he and Kyoko had been dating for a while or maybe if they were married or if he had never told her, then the choice would be easier.

As it was though, this was no easy decision.

"So," Ren smiled trying to pay attention to his career. He knew that Kyoko would act the opposite of most women about this. He knew that if he told her that he hadn't even heard about the offers because he was so dedicated to staying at her side, she would get angry with him instead of find it a sweet and romantic action.

He valued her independence, but he was worried about how he could cope with a long distance relationship so early on. Of course, if it had been anyone else he would have broken up with them, but this wasn't another woman, this was Kyoko.

"Well," Yashiro smiled, "The first one is the second lead male role in an American independent film. The main story is about a psychopath, which fortunately for everyone there _isn't_ the role that you've been offered and a young man who tries to make a name for himself by writing about it. The second is an audition for a Michael Bey film, not a very significant role but it'd be good to showcase some of your talent. The other is for a miniseries for the BBC. It is actually conceivable that you could do all three but with your new relationship."

Ren sighed, "I'd love to take all of them if that's possible, however…" he looked away. He could justify saying no to one of them, after all one of them was just an audition, but he had to have a backup in case Kyoko wasn't the girl who was meant for him.

Hopefully that didn't sound too rude.

"Well," Yashiro sighed as he handed Ren the paperwork to look over and decide upon. "I would talk this over with Kyoko. Don't try to act on anything without talking to her, there might be some things that can get arranged," Ren caught a playful smile on Yashiro's face and chuckled.

"Who knows," the actor thought aloud, "If I stay here, I might be able to get onto a cooking show about eating pudding." Yashiro stared at him completely puzzled by all of it.

….

….

Kyoko was walking down the street towards the Darumaya. She felt glad that she could work a little that night as she would have felt guilty being one of those girls who didn't put in a hard day of work just because they were dating someone talented who they had found out had been their childhood friend. No, she wanted to be able to do some shifts as a waitress and thankfully nobody knew who she was even now.

That might change in the future however.

If she announced to Japan that she was the person who Ren Tsuruga loved then there would be many _many_ people who could recognize her face and for all the wrong reasons. Just as she had been bullied at school for her infatuation over Shoutaro, if Japanese women found out that she was in love with Ren, and worse that Ren loved her, they would constantly be upset with her.

Some women were stupid like that.

Then there was the fact that she had told Shou that she wouldn't fall in love with Ren. If that idiot found out that she was happy in a relationship, she feared that he would try to purposefully mess it up. Although Kyoko had been trained in dealing with drunk and disorderly customers and could take criticism silently, depending on his mood Ren sometimes couldn't.

She wondered how Shoutaro would want to play his cards to make Ren break up with her. The thing was that Shou didn't know about Kuon. By just knowing his real name, Kyoko could hopefully patch things up with him more easily, she had his trust. She just had to make sure not to lose it.

"So, you look lost in thought," Shou laughed as he stood in her path and Kyoko looked up with a glare.

"Shou, I advise that you get out of my way right now before I force you out of my way," she looked from side to side. Even with her growing popularity, this idiot was more recognizable than her. She needed to figure out which cards in her hand would make up the best move.

"I saw your love speech," Shou said as Kyoko shook her head.

"What on earth are you talking about? I didn't make a love speech, you need to go to a pharmacy where they can save your brain from rotting out your head. I suggest the sooner the better, there tends to be a foul odor when things start rotting."

Kyoko had a feeling that she knew exactly what little love speech Shou was talking about. She couldn't let him win. She did _not_ want to go back to Kyoto.

Shou raised an eyebrow, "You mean, that you didn't declare your love for Tsuruga Ren during that interview that you were on?" he asked as Kyoko smiled proudly. At least she could circumnavigate this situation.

"No, I didn't announce my love for Tsuruga-san. I'm not in love with Tsuruga-san," she said proudly and Shou was caught off guard by the honesty on her face.

"You're just a stupid woman who is giving into the feelings of love. All of this just because of your withdrawal of me," Shou said as he placed a hand to his chest which led Kyoko to scoff.

"And how am I doing that? Plus, I'm not getting withdrawals, don't think you're anything special. I don't even feel my usual enjoyment from my anger when it comes to you," she said. "You're insignificant to me, Shoutaro."

She saw Shou look both ways to check to see if somebody could have overheard them. He didn't want his precious name to be found out.

"I'm going to find that man you're in love with," Shou grinned smugly. "After all, one of my connections gave me a name of a place or an item and I'm going to look it up."

Kyoko stared at him in disbelief, "Well, I hope that you didn't pay them but if you want to waste your money on them at least it's not as if you're stringing along a poor girl."

"So tell me," Shou said with a look that mirrored the cat who ate the canary, "What is a Kuon?"

Kyoko's back stiffened and she said the first thing to enter her mind, "It's a dance."


	9. Chapter 9 - New Challenges

**AN:** I usually tend not to answer questions from guest reviews just because I don't know how to, but I think I'm going to start putting the answers right at the bottom so if you do have questions that's where I'll answer them. As for this fic, I really hope you enjoy 😊

 **Chapter Nine – New Challenges**

"It's a dance."

Kyoko closed her eyes as she mentally kicked herself for that response. She had been reminded of when she had first talked with Ren whilst she was Bo and how Kuon was having trouble figuring out what certain words meant. Then again, was Shou really that stupid? The reason why Ren…Kuon had had difficulty with the word was that he was brought up in America and it was a really used word. Kyoko didn't really know how she could convince this idiot in front of her that Kuon was a dance.

If it _was_ a dance, it'd be a very complicated one but one that she'd enjoy doing.

"A dance?" Shou asked as he laughed at that, "I'm pretty sure it's not a dance."

"Well, how familiar are you with dances?" Kyoko challenged him by raising an eyebrow, "You, who barely moves in your music videos, don't know a single thing about dancing."

Shou laughed again at that. This girl in front of him really had guts to challenge such a stupid notion. He _knew_ about dances, he just didn't think that someone like Kyoko did. "Are you kidding? It's you with your dreams of being a princess that means you don't consider anything outside of those big fancy balls dancing. I bet you don't know any kind of informal dance."

"I told you," Kyoko said with a certain amount of stubbornness in her voice, "I know how to dance the Kuon."

"Oh, really?" Shou said as he was more concerned with protecting his performer's ego than what the word actually meant anymore. "So, show me a move of it."

Kyoko laughed, "You'd love to see it, however I wouldn't give you the time of day."

"I can just look it up online," Shou argued as Kyoko looked down. Kuon wasn't a name that only one person had and of course the recent net results wouldn't be posting about Ren so maybe it was alright if he looked it up. He'd probably only click on a few results and then give up on it.

Nothing to worry about there.

"So, look it up," Kyoko told him with a level of unrivaled confidence in her voice.

Shou nodded, "I will. So, are you still getting closer to Tsuruga, the guy's a complete tool. I mean, I heard that he only looks tall, thin, pretty girls," he said as Kyoko looked to the side. She didn't want to admit to this guy that she was dating Ren. That would be horrible, plus, it would only upset Ren and she didn't want _that_ to happen.

"Tsuruga-san is my mentor. I only want to get close to his acting ability," she lied but looked down. This guy had spread so many lies and denied so many things that she didn't actually feel guilty if she didn't go back to Kyoto like she had vowed to. Plus, she was pretty sure that even if she _did_ go there, Kuon would just follow after her.

Before Shou could say anything else, Kyoko heard her phone ring and she looked down. She was surprised to see the president's number and so took the call.

As she talked to the president, Shou gave up on her.

Apparently there was a new opportunity for her that Takarada-san would tell her tomorrow morning.

….

….

Kyoko had tried to forget all about Shou as she served the people at the restaurant. After a shift where she had managed to tire herself with hard work she could be proud of, she was about to go to bed before she checked her phone. Two calls from Kuon. Well, she just hoped he hadn't gone to sleep yet.

She called him back with a smile on her face.

"Hey there, Kyoko" she heard her boyfriend say in his dreamy voice. "I'm glad you called me back."

"Well, why wouldn't I call you back? I mean, I didn't disturb you, did I?" Kyoko asked as she held the phone to her ear and smiled as she felt giddy inside. This man was her boyfriend despite that information not being public knowledge.

"No, not at all," Kuon said as Kyoko pulled her knees up to her. "There's something important I need to discuss with you. Maybe doing it over the phone isn't the best idea, but I have to make a decision soon."

Kyoko took a quick breath in, "Is everything alright, Kuon? You're not in trouble, right?" she questioned him and she heard a weak laugh from the other end of the line.

"Nothing like that. I've just been offered a few international jobs. It's always been a dream of mine to find jobs in America and I've been given the opportunity…it's just going to be hard to leave you," he said honestly as Kyoko hesitated. She suddenly felt a little sad but she had to continue for his sake.

"That sounds like a great opportunity," she commented as she looked away. Maybe if this had happened in a few years she would have been able to find work for herself so that she could join him. She really didn't want to not see him for that long a stretch. However, standing in between him and his dreams was something that she wanted to do a _lot_ less than be without him.

"So, it would really be alright with you if I did this. I'd only do it if you're okay with a long-distance relationship. Kyoko, you mean a lot to me so if you don't want me to go," Kuon said and Kyoko could hear the mixed emotions in his voice.

"I can't say that I won't miss you terribly, Kuon" she told him before smiling weakly, "but we can make it work. Plus, I don't think I could be happy with anyone else, I love you, Corn," she said as her cheeks turned red.

Kuon laughed, "love you too."

….

….

Kyoko had no idea what was going to go on when she headed for LME. If she had known then she probably would have been a bit more excited than anxious about what her boyfriend had told her the previous night. She knew in her heart that Kuon was all that she could want, but the idea of trying to keep the secret alone for who knew how long was a little intimidating.

If it came out, she would have to deal with the press releases alone and fend off those exhausting fangirls that he had. She would have to try to persuade Shou to leave her alone and without Reino's fear of Ren, maybe he would cause some problems too.

It was when she was led into the president's office by Sebastian and saw Kuon…Ren on the sofa watching her, that she suddenly felt a little bit of excitement. She had to calm herself down. Maybe she could still hide her relationship from the president if she acted well enough.

She could tell it was too late by his smile.

"So," Lory said with a grin as he stood there looking like a French musketeer that day, "Congratulations should be in order," he told her, "I think that this means that you are a graduate of the Love Me program, or at least I'll have to test you to figure that out."

Kyoko paused, "You know?" she asked before looking at Ren, "Is it okay that he knows?"

Ren nodded and then sighed, "He managed to get it out of me, apparently he had spies hidden again and he also knows that I told you who I really am. I also told him about the international offers, though he knew about those as well."

"Well those of course I knew about," Lory commented as he sat down. "You don't think that offers get given to your manager without me knowing about them. That's why I thought of the perfect test for Kyoko here, if she's willing to accept it."

Kyoko looked between the two of them.

Okay, hopefully this wasn't too hard a test. She didn't want to have one more thing barring her from getting out of that ridiculously colored jumpsuit.

"I think that it's a great opportunity," Kuon said as Kyoko came and sat down next to him. "That is, if you're alright with spending more time together?" he asked as Kyoko tilted her head to the side. She was getting to be confused about what exactly could be happening here.

"I want you to study under two, possibly three, actors in a masterclass. These will all be in the areas in which Kuon will be working, I just think that since you've already had a debut, I could help you improve your craft," Lory said as Kyoko's eyes lit up.

"Really? You don't have to do that, I don't want to be a burden on," Kyoko said quickly but Lory tried to brush away her worries with a wave of his hand.

"Kyoko, if you want to grow as an actress, you will really have to learn the right techniques and skills as an actor. I don't want you embarrassing LME with attempts like your one to hide your relationship with Kuon here," Lory said as Kyoko paled.

"Don't these actors have things that they need to do," she worried.

"Well, the first person is Kuu, so if you want to disappoi-" Lory began but Kyoko immediately straightened her posture as she sat. Just like a schoolgirl in class, she raised her hand and then said with a lot of conviction in her voice.

"No, don't tell Father that. I will gladly work with him," she turned back to Kuon and then looked down, "I mean, if that's alright with you."

"It sounds great. I bet my dad will be really excited plus that gives us a reason to spend time with them without anyone knowing who I really am," Kuon laughed as Kyoko nodded. She did _not_ want for him to find out that Shou, of all people, had learned his true name. She just hoped there weren't any web results to give him proof.

"So, I'll get the tickets set up for when you've finished your most recent jobs," Lory said before looking at Kuon. "I also think that the time might come soon for you to tell Japan who you really are."

"How about I do it when I come back?" Kuon asked as Kyoko smiled.

"I think Japan will be thrilled to know your real name," she tried to encourage him and he reached out to hold her hand. Even though this was a new relationship for him, it was moving much quicker than either of them had believed that it would. Hopefully, by moving this fast and by working abroad, they wouldn't be rushing into things that would lead them to dangerous situations.

He would feel terrible if they broke up whilst in a foreign country, he just hoped he wouldn't put too much pressure on Kyoko whilst they were there.

However, he had to admit that he was hopeful that this would be beneficial to them. He really wanted it to work out for the best and maybe one day for them to commit to one another forever. He just hoped that Kyoko felt the same way.

 **AN 2:**  
\- So, when I said that Ren was in an interview last chapter it was one that I didn't show so I guess I broke the show don't tell rule.


	10. Chapter 10 - A Kiss Unlike Any Other

**Chapter Ten – A Kiss Unlike Any Other**

Kyoko sat very patiently as she waited for Kuon the following day. She had thought about times when she was still living in Kyoto and she would have gone anywhere with Shou. Okay, as much as it pissed her off to admit to it, she had followed Shou to Tokyo and that had been the start of all the events that had happened during the most recent years of her life. However, at that point she had only done whatever she could for Shou, said whatever she could for Shou, gone wherever Shou wanted her to go with only one thing on her mind, to make Shou happy.

If she followed Kuon there would be something in it for her as well, the idea of studying under three people that Lory Takarada respected and learning about the acting world. This was an opportunity that she would never have had before and she knew that he wanted her to keep Kuon calm as well.

She knew that and yet if Kuon suddenly turned around and told her to never see her again, she could still have a purpose for being there…with his father.

Oh god, hopefully nothing like that happened. It would take a complete flip of his personality to keep her away from Kuon and hopefully she wouldn't do something to make Corn sad or make him feel unwanted.

Or maybe he didn't really want her to go.

She bowed her head and tried to decide whether or not to reopen the conversation they had both had with the president when she saw him approach her. She smiled widely and dropped down into a bow out of habit rather than out of anyone being around to witness this. "Tsuruga-san, how are you doing?" she asked as he laughed and stood there with his arms folded.

"Cute, Mogami-san," he commented as her cheeks turned red.

Ren came up to her, she was starting to become much more familiar with the differences between the gestures that Ren made and that Kuon made. Though she knew that the two of them were tricky and liked to joke around. Ren was just more subtle about that, when everyone found out about Kuon they would know that he was just….American.

"Well, I'm sure that you'll be cute when you appear across from Bo on the TV interview," she smiled as Ren raised an eyebrow.

"Are you trying to test me? Is this a threat that Bo told you to give me, Mogami-san?" he asked as Kyoko looked around and then blinked confused. Ren came towards her so that he could look down upon her with a blinding smile of his.

"Of course not, where's…Yashiro-san?" she asked before feeling Ren slip his hands on her shoulders as his actions seemed so much more like Kuon's than Ren's.

"I thought you wanted to see me, Kyoko," he whispered as he kissed the top of her head and pulled her in for an embrace. "I didn't think that this was something that Yashiro needed to watch so he has gone back to the agency to work on his paperwork," he said.

"Such kindness," Kyoko said teasingly as Kuon sighed.

"You know, I try, I really do try," Kuon teased back with her as Kyoko laughed. She really liked feeling the warmth of his embrace. Compared to what she had with Shou there was a world apart. Shou was definitely not as sweet as Kuon or as kind as Kuon or….

"I'm so sorry," Kyoko apologized as she pulled away and then dropped into a deep bow as Kuon looked at her very concerned.

"Kyoko?" he asked as he looked at her as if seeing if he had hurt her somehow. She knew he was nervous that one day he would do or say something that would make her feel sad. That was definitely a way where Kuon and Shou were different people with different hearts.

"He knows your real name," she said as Kuon sighed with a nod, "I'm really sorry, Tsuruga-san. He didn't know what it meant and I thought I could explain it away as it being a dance, but he might find out."

Kuon sighed and shook his head, he laughed a little. "You know, you can't explain everything as a dance. I didn't know that word and I was already embarrassed about it. Plus, why make fun of that moment? Wasn't that the point where you realized that I was human and not just a demon lord or…"

"One day I will ask you to show me your true emperor of the night," Kyoko smiled, "but that's just not going to happen tonight. I have something to ask of you, there's something that I'd like to ask of you," she said quickly and Kuon watched her in a protective manner. He wasn't sure what she was going to ask but he hated how afraid she looked.

"What is it?" he asked as he reached for her hand and saw her weak smile.

"When we go abroad, I wanted to know if it was okay if we were to live together," she said quickly before turning red and looked down. Maybe that was too much, too forward of her. "I'm sorry, I know that we just started dating and that I'm not your sister this time. If you don't want…"

"I'd be really happy to stay with you, Kyoko" he grinned, "and don't worry, we can talk to the president and see if we can get some places with two bedrooms if that makes you more comfortable," he said as Kyoko smiled.

"I've only shared a bed with a man a few times and other than that it was usually beside the bed that I slept," she said. "I know you wouldn't kick me onto the floor as well."

Kuon stared at her in shock, "Fuwa kicked you onto the floor?"

"Well he said he needed his space and I was taking all of the oxygen," Kyoko muttered as she concentrated on the ground. She wanted to stamp on all of the Shou fleas that she was visualizing.

Kuon rolled his eyes, "Come on, let's go get something to eat," he told her before smiling to Kyoko, "You know even though you do take my breath away, I never want you to stop doing it. I always want to remember that I am with a smart, beautiful, powerful, young woman who I gave my heart to willingly."

Kyoko smiled and nodded. She just hoped that everything would turn out alright.

….

….

As Ren dropped Yashiro off at the end of the day, he sat in the car for a little time trying to catch his breath. How did this get so complicated? All that he really wanted was to try, with hopefully Rick's blessing, to be happy with a girl that he had always called his ideal woman. When he was a child, he wanted someone kind and strong, someone who was a lot like the mother that he had.

When he had met her again, it was at that point in his life when he needed a woman with a bit more fight to her, with some more independence who could handle everything big that he was dealing with and not let it swallow her up. For some reason, Kyoko could handle what he had told her and had never lost that smile on her face that instantly made someone happier by looking at it.

He still had to finish his work, but he hoped that if they got away to a foreign country, things could get settled. He hoped that them living together was going to be a good thing. Maybe if they got rid of the Tokyo backdrop then they wouldn't have to deal with Shou or double identities.

They could just be them.

Unfortunately, that night Kuon couldn't even be Ren by himself. He heard someone kicking his tire and raised an eyebrow as he saw Fuwa outside of the car. He got out and let one hand rest against his vehicle.

"I'm not sure which is going to be a higher number, the number that I am going to charge you if you damage my property or the number of fans that you're going to lose when they find that you are trying to start a public fight with me. I'm too old for this," he sighed as Shou looked up with his cellphone in hand.

"I found out who you are and you have no right to talk about maturity," Shou attempted to threaten him. "I mean, being fired for causing fights on sets, doesn't sound very gentlemanly as you might believe…Hizuri."

Kuon sighed as he looked at the sky, he saw Shou pull back a hand as if about to deliver a punch and put a hand out to stop him. "Don't even think about it," he said before looking at Shou. "You don't know what it is to feel an outcast, do you?"

Shou's body turned rigid as Kuon said that to him. He didn't know what to say to the actor, this conversation wasn't about Shou it was about this demon who had sent guys to the hospital because they called him a mutt and a murderer. "You never felt that! Your famous parents…" he said as Kuon laughed.

"Are you talking about prestige?" he asked, "That's what my family had. Tsuruga is a nobody with no connections," he said as he looked at Shou. "I bet Kyoko never told you all the pain she had when she was a kid, but I only knew her for a very short time when she was six. I do know that you can't possibly be this emotionally attached to her when you couldn't even help her."

Shou stared at him in disbelief before Kuon shrugged. "What I'm saying is that Kyoko is mine, I own her, my family paid for her."

"Damn are you stupid," Kuon said with a challenge in his eyes. "Kyoko doesn't belong to anyone and I hate to see anyone who tries to convince her of something so ridiculous. She is the most independent woman that I know."

"You mean that you didn't have sex with," Shou said, "I found out some information about that as well. It says here you made out with plenty of girls and even a few guys, what kind of medical problem is that."

Kuon looked up. He should have known that if someone tried hard enough to dig up any dirt about him, that they would find out that he had, once as a joke and once as a sign of protest, made out with two other teenage boys. His parents worked in Hollywood. Being gay was accepted for the most part, or at least it was accepted much more than here in Tokyo. He had always known that he was straight, but that didn't mean that he hadn't had friends of other sexual persuasions.

He hated when the idea of homosexuality moved into a disease or an illness.

Kuon moved forward and grabbed hold of Shou, forcing a kiss on him that would make it seem as if it was consensual. "Never talk about that being a medical problem," he said as Shou backed away completely confused with what had happened. He had a hand over his mouth before backing away to his own car.

Kuon sighed, it was a very good thing that he was going away. He didn't know how Japan was going to deal with this out of character behavior, he just hoped that he would get Kyoko's forgiveness as well. He had been really hurt that Kyoko had kissed Shou, maybe the fact that he had kissed Shou would be something Kyoko wouldn't be able to forgive.

He really hoped that she could.


	11. Chapter 11 - Homosexual Tendencies

**AN:** I hope you guys are enjoying this story and enjoy this chapter 😊 Thank you for giving me your support.

 **Chapter Eleven – Homosexual Tendencies**

When Kyoko arrived at LME the next day, she had one item on her agenda. Find Ren and force him to explain the photo that the paparazzi had taken. She knew that there had to be something more behind it, but it had become the news of the day and she wasn't going to take this lying down. She had to find out where Ren was and then yell at him until he told her what he was thinking.

If he wasn't her boyfriend then she would feel scared to approach him about this, but he had given her the option to by being in a relationship with her.

As she paced through the LME corridor, she saw Yashiro sitting there with the same celebrity gossip magazine open in his lap with the same picture. Maybe he had done this as revenge or maybe it was a publicity stunt. He was rather nervous about the fact that people had been able to see this. It was definitely out of character, but maybe there was some big secret he didn't know about his client.

Ren was full of secrets.

"Oh, so you've seen it Yashiro-san" Kyoko said as she approached him and saw his confused look. She gripped to her upper arm and looked down, "I don't think it's what they say it is. I don't think that Ren has suppressed homosexual feelings _especially_ for someone as flea ridden as _him_."

Yashiro sighed, "I don't think so either, but I would really like to know what is going on in his head. This," he slapped the magazine, "is something that I'm going to have to explain to the media and I have no idea what is going on."

Kyoko shifted uncomfortably, "Is it okay if I sit down?" she asked and Yashiro nodded, sliding over to give her room. "I can't help but feel that maybe he was trying to protect me," she said weakly. "I think that he knows I want to keep our relationship private, but I didn't think that he'd be capable of something like this. Besides, Shou's the type of asshole who might sue for damages to his reputation."

"I thought about that as well," Yashiro said, "when I suggested the option to Ren he just said that he would sue Fuwa back for damages to his vehicle, that and assault."

Kyoko laughed weakly at that, "Assault? Shou wouldn't last one minute against Kuon, trust me I've seen both of them fight and as much as I'd want to see Shou get hurt, Ren is definitely the clear winner."

Yashiro looked at her suspiciously, "Kyoko, may I ask who Kuon is?" he asked. He had a gut feeling that by agreeing to date him, Ren, who he didn't know the real name of, had told her his real identity. The idea of him being Kuon Hizuri…was that really such a laughable idea.

Kyoko tensed and then looked to her side to see Yashiro staring at her. "Could you please keep that a secret," she said with wide eyes before standing so she could drop into a bow. "Please, he told me that in confidence. I'm sorry, please ignore that I said that. Please forget that I said that name or I might not be able to…"

"So, is his last name Hizuri?" Yashiro asked as he saw Kyoko freeze. "Really?" Yashiro asked excitedly as Kyoko looked up at him in dread. She knew that Yashiro was a huge Kuu fan, to know that after so many years he had been working with his son and keeping care of his career. Still, it was too late and he had read her.

"I won't tell anyone," Yashiro said with a smile as he looked up. He couldn't believe the family connection between the two great actors. "However, this I do need to find a reason to explain," he gestured to the magazine. "Do you think that he was just trying to protect you?" he asked the actress in front of him.

Kyoko shifted nervously, "Perhaps…or perhaps he really did want to teach that moron a lesson. Ren's American and kissing guys is something that everyone must do over there."

Yashiro raised an eyebrow, "I don't think it's a very common occurrence for guys to kiss other guys unless they are in a relationship and if these two are in a relationship then I'm actually Kuu Hizuri himself."

Kyoko sighed, "They're not…where is Ren by the way?" she asked and Yashiro looked down.

"He was called in by the president, most likely to discuss the photo," Yashiro admitted wondering how things would be going in the president's office.

….

….

Ren kept his head bowed as he waited for Lory to speak first. He knew that kissing Shou was both a mistake and had left a bad aftertaste in his mouth but he had felt pushed into a point where he had to attack. He hadn't wanted to attack even after Shou had tried to attack him first. Therefore, he had tried to hurt his pride and his judgement of other people.

It was a mistake…a very impulsive mistake.

"I know that Japan has a stigm-" Ren began before seeing Lory staring at him in a very sad and angry way at him saying this.

"Do I seem to be a person who cares about sexual preference?" Lory asked, "Is that what you think of me? I'm not such a person. I think love is love no matter the age, gender, race, or any other factor. You can't help who you fall in love with and I support those with large age differences as well as those of the same gender. If this was you falling in love with another man in an honest gesture, I would be supportive of you and I would make sure to use my best assets so you were not attacked by the media. I also know that your parents would be very supportive. However, this is you wanting to use love as a weapon."

Ren looked down weakly, "Since neither he or I love one another, I don't think it was really using love as a weapon. I don't think either of us are going to -" Lory's look cut him off again.

"Do you know that you have a lot of male fans who suppress these tendencies?" Lory asked as he raised an eyebrow. "I think that if you've given them hope, there will definitely be a backlash if you say that you used this as an attack or a joke. It'll look that you're homophobic and use it as a weapon."

"You know that I'm not!" Kuon quickly said, alarmed that that might be a possibility. "I'm not from one of those parts of California that openly preaches against gay marriage. I've had friends in middle school and high school who weren't straight. Maybe if we go with that kind of an angle it wouldn't look as if I was turning my back on people who have been hurt."

"And again…the noble part of you comes out," Lory sighed before sitting down in a chair, "Have you ever felt that you could be bisexual?" he asked as Ren shook his head.

"Does it count if it's just one man though?" he asked as Lory sat up straighter, he looked at Ren as if just realizing some kind of truth. He hadn't expected that response especially since Kuon had dated so many women in the past. Was there really one man who had slipped through the cracks in that and who on earth was he?

"I don't think you need to label yourself, aren't you and Kyoko enjoying your relationship?" he asked and Ren nodded guiltily. "So, try not to think about it. We will have to say something about you being a supporter of gay rights, though that would be easier to do if we revealed your identity and it feels to me that you're not ready to do that."

"It doesn't matter if I'm ready or not," Ren attempted to argue, "Fuwa knows my true identity and he's going to take it to the press no matter what, the only way of beating him is to get one step ahead of him. I kissed him so that he would try to avoid the press out of humiliation," Ren sighed. "I guess my days of being Ren Tsuruga are over."

Lory sighed, "You're doing the interview with Bridge Rock, aren't you?" he asked. He felt glad that it was someone inside of the LME agency that Ren was working with tonight. He had spoken to Bridge Rock numerous times and since LME supported them, he could get them to agree to not dig into any deeper questions about their past. In fact, that's how Kyoko ended up with her mascot roll as their rooster. If it had been another agency she wouldn't have even be able to pass.

Lory knew everything most of the time, but tonight would be the night the biggest truth would be revealed.

A lot of the agency's success rested on Ren's shoulders and he brought in a lot of financial income compared to other actors on file, but tonight would either be where his stock would soar or it would plummet and Lory was not excited about this. He had known that the truth would have to come out eventually though.

"Are you ready to do it tonight?" he asked as Ren sighed.

"No time like the present," he admitted and Lory nodded.

"In that case, the front desk has contacted me saying that Kyoko is looking for you. She's on the first floor and if I were you, I'd try to get a few apologies prepared. Even though Kyoko seems to want to keep your relationship a secret, it looks as if you are affectionate towards a man who hurt her. I only hope for everyone's sake that she is able to forgive you for your idiocy."

Ren nodded. He was nervous about her reaction as well.

…..

…..

When he saw the anger on Kyoko's face, Ren knew that he couldn't hide. He just hoped that she would be able to forgive him. "Hey," he smiled very weakly as he approached her and Yashiro before finding her to stand up and face him head on. He knew how blunt she could be and he knew how she had found it hard to love. Had he screwed all of that up in just one night?

"Tsuruga-san," Kyoko said with a deep breath in, "I'm mad at you."

"I know, I know there were other ways of shutting Fuwa up than with a kiss," Ren said sheepishly as Kyoko sighed.

"You should be glad that I like you so much and that you are Corn because if you weren't," Ren took a quick look at his manager before concentrating more on his girlfriend. "I mean, now I just have one thing to deal with because as much as I'm angry at you, I do love you."

"So, what's the one thing?" Ren asked. He had hope that she wouldn't break up with him because if she was, she would probably tell him that they were through and that she was done with him and he could shack up with Fuwa and they could make fun of her together.

"I need to know what the strongest type of mouthwash is," Kyoko frowned as Ren blinked. "I don't want to taste any Fuwa from your lips."

"You're willing to stay with me?" Ren asked with a weak smile and Kyoko pointed a finger at him.

"I'm willing to be the girlfriend of an idiot," she nodded, "but don't you ever kiss Shou again, if you really need to kiss a guy, then kiss Yashiro-san,"

Red weakly laughed, "I don't think he'd be up to it," he said as he noticed the horrified expression on his manager's face.

Hopefully tonight would offer some _good_ results.

 **AN:**

Thank you of course to all of my supporters, but a special call out to **Ashenvale** for reviewing the previous chapter.


	12. Chapter 12 - Kimagure Rock

**AN:** Thank you for your patience with this fic and the uploads, I'm trying a new thing to update most of my fics at least once a week. I'm glad that so many people like this fic 😊 I'm currently rereading this fic because there are things that I forgot so please bear with me. I'm trying hard to differentiate this fic from 'The Lake in the Park'. Anyway I really hope you enjoy 😊

 **Chapter Twelve – Kimagure Rock**

Ren turned to Kyoko and smiled softly as he looked out onto the stage. They were setting up for Kimagure Rock and Kuon had arrived earlier than the hosts had expected him to. Of course, they did think that this was talking with Kyoko as a friend.

Kyoko grinned as she waddled out to where Ren – soon to be Kuon – stood in his very fashionable shirt, tie, and slacks. His hair had even been styled to look more elegant. Kyoko however was in a chicken costume.

"So, Tsuruga, you really didn't…" Kyoko paused as she saw Ren break down laughing. "I guess we can't keep up our old repertoire," Kyoko said as she took the head off and smiled as he pulled her to him.

"I'm sorry," Kuon smiled at her, "I'll pretend that you're Bo, if you want," he said as Kyoko smiled. "I'm nervous. I'm scared of what the world will think of me and I'm getting a little possessive because of the way the lead host is looking at you."

Kyoko laughed, "Hikaru-san is like a big brother to me, all of the Ishibashi-san's are. You really can't be scared of him," Kyoko smiled as she gazed up at her boyfriend. "I can't believe that very soon the two of us will be in America with your mother and father hosting us. I'm so excited," she said before seeing Kuon's nervous expression.

"It's actually three of us," he said as Kyoko tilted her head to the side.

"You mean that it's going to still be Ren and Kuon even in America?" Kyoko sighed and put a hand on her forehead, "Okay, I can manage it."

"No, that's not what I'm saying," Kuon said with a smile, "Just know that your role there isn't as a substitute manager but it's as someone who can learn from the teachers that the president has set up for you to meet."

"You mean that," Kyoko grinned, "Yashiro-san gets to travel with us?"

"He's been with me on international shoots before, but there were some commercials that got booked as well, some modeling shoots, my schedule is filling up and he's both the man who can handle everything and the man who can schedule in enough time for us to be together," Kuon smiled before looking to his manager who had just come out from backstage.

He saw Kyoko grin as she approached him and then he saw Yashiro's surprised expression at the lower half of what she was wearing. "Yashiro-san, I'm so excited that you are coming with us. Thank you for making such a sacrifice for my boyfriend," she told him as Kuon laughed seeing the expression on Yashiro's face as he attempted to decipher the half bird and half Kyoko creature in front of him.

Kyoko paled slightly, did Kuon know that Yashiro knew his true name? Could she pass this off as an accident? She didn't know whether to say anything but she was glad when Yashiro did.

"You know, I've had several surprises pushed on me lately," Yashiro smiled to the couple. "Kuon told me his true identity just before he said that he'd say it on the show. I've really had no time to get any of the proper papers sorted. I think that this goes beyond my position as a manager."

"Well…" Ren smiled, "I've considered you more of a friend than a manager anyway."

Yashiro nodded, he had to admit that that was true but he was still a little awkward that Ren had seen him become a Kuu Hizuri fanboy. Yashiro had also searched the web for all the information he could pull up for Kuon Hizuri and there were some varied results. Fortunately, Kuu had hired a legal lawyer to take down any bad web results. He needed to keep his son safe after all of this.

"Fine, but next time I'm not letting you off that easily," Yashiro commented before looking at Kyoko as the lights blinked and Kyoko put on her head piece ready for the show to begin. "If I didn't consider us friends, I might not be going abroad with you but I'm excited for what it'll mean for you as an actor."

"You're a great manager, Yashiro," Ren smiled, "and an even better friend."

….

….

"So, our guest for tonight is Ren Tsuruga," Hikaru smiled as he looked aside to Ren sitting on the chair and smiling his very glamorous smile. "So, it's been a long time of us trying to get you on here but because of your busy schedule you've always declined so respectfully before. How do you feel now you're here?"

Ren smiled, "Well, we are all part of the same agency so I do apologize that it's been such a long time. I also heard that you're going to let me share some private information here tonight," he said as the guests screamed and tried to move in closer as if he was just about to whisper secrets.

"Sure thing, so what's first on your mind?" Hikaru asked.

"I bet it's about some fantastic new project that you're working on," Shuuhei said and Yuusei laughed.

"My feelings are it's about this mysterious girl that you've been reported to have been dating."

"It's actually about my father and my real name," Ren said with a deep breath in. "It's a secret that I've never brought to a TV show or an interview before. I think it's only because we have the same president that he's allowing me to give you this information."

"So it's a super hot scoop!" Yuusei grinned with a wink

"This does make us feel very lucky," Hikaru smiled whilst trying to handle his nerves, he wasn't expecting for Ren Tsuruga to try to hijack the show with personal stories. Wasn't he a professional who could understand what live TV meant? "So what is this behind the scenes scoop."

"Hizuri," Ren said as his eyes met Hikaru's as if challenging him. "That's my family name, my first name is Kuon but I prefer to use my stage name of Ren Tsuruga."

There was silence within most of the audience with the other people having to explain the significance of this despite Kuu being considered a hero or guru in the acting community. The three Ishibashis looked completely stunned as well.

"That's amazing that you're from a family like that," Hikaru said as he tried to get back on track, "Does that mean that you're only half Japanese?" he asked and Kuon shook his head.

"I'm half American, one quarter Japanese, and one quarter Russian. I do really enjoy living in Japan as that's where my significant other is," Kuon said as Yuusei grinned.

"So it really is Shou Fuwa, well that's a good combination right there," he said with a thumbs up.

"I'm really glad that you can act so mature and progressive towards the stunt that we decided to pull to show our support for gay rights," Kuon smiled, "I do have many friends and a couple of family members who don't follow a heterosexual style of relationship. However, I do have a girl that I love dearly."

"Are you going to tell us who it is?" Hikaru grinned not expecting the weight that was going to fall on him from the impact of the answer.

"Kyoko from LME," Kuon smiled as Hikaru choked and Shinichi looked over at where Bo was entering. "She is my muse and my inspiration. I've never met anyone like her," he said with a controlled smile as the audience members and the host seemed to be melting around him. "Sorry, did I say something wrong? Was that supposed to be a big reveal later? I'm sorry if that's the case."

"I…uh…" Hikaru said looking like a fish who was trying to breath in a bowl. Shinichi and Yuusi both stared at him as they attempted to laugh the issue off.

"So," Shinich said quickly, "Any projects, are you finishing one up?" he asked

"Yes, I have a few projects that I've schedule for the future and a couple that I'm wrapping up at the current time. I always like to keep myself busy, I don't know but I feel that even if I'm lucky to live fifty more years I will still want to be working in the acting field. I think by that time though, I would want to be a teacher. I've also been motivated to start writing," Kuon said as he revealed information that he hadn't even told Kyoko.

"You must have a great inspiration to be writing, plus with all the projects you've worked on you've had a lot of experience with scripts. I think anything you do will be amazing," Shinichi grinned.

"Well, I can't help myself since I'm with such a beautiful woman." Kuon smiled as he thought about Kyoko. "I'm really apologetic if that makes any of my fans feel awkward and I promise you that I care about all of the people who support me. I ask you to spread your support for me to her again. It is because of her that I have my strength as an actor and as a person."

Hikaru continued to stare at him in bewilderment.

"Well, let's hear from our sponsors," Yuusei grinned.

Once the commercial break was called, Kuon leaned forward so he could take a look at Kyoko. "Is everything okay?" he asked as Hikaru stared at him not sure what to say. "Are you -"

"He's had a crush on Kyoko for a while," Shinichi commented as Yuusei shot him a harsh look. "It's like knowing that the girl you like is with someone so much better than you or at least perceived by popular audience opinion."

Kuon shook his head, "I'm sorry, I don't consider that true though. I don't feel as if I'm better than anyone else. I just have had more personal and private time with Kyoko and that usually leads to a relationship. I didn't mean to cause any ill will," he apologized as Hikaru laughed.

"Sorry, it was a shock but I'm glad that if Kyoko has a boyfriend, it's someone with your kind of kindness."

….

….

"So," Kuon said as he stood backstage with Kyoko dressed completely as Bo. "Is this the part for your main section?" he asked with a grin. "This is what I've been looking forward to the most."

"Really, Hizuri" Kyoko said in the Bo voice. "I'm not going to go easy on you. This is a game of twenty questions and I want to know everything about you."

Kuon dared himself to try to wrap his arms around the rooster as best he could. "I love you, I have a lot of painful memories but I trust the person that I love to accept me for most of my past transgressions."

Kuon paused as he saw that Hikaru was approaching them with a weak smile.

"I'm sorry that I froze like that on the interview," he said as he dropped into a bow.

Kuon paused and shook his head, letting his arms move out of Bo as Kyoko stared between the two of them stunned but through her Bo head she couldn't show any expression especially her surprise from what had just happened.

"Please don't feel that you need to apologize Ishibashi-san," Kuon said as he dropped down into his own bow. "I dropped a lot of information on you and it wasn't planned. I knew that you wanted to ask about my significant other but I only had a suspicion of your feelings towards Kyoko. I will tell you though that if it was on the other hand and that I found out you were dating Kyoko, I would feel that my heart would break on screen. I love her and I don't want to apologize for loving her, but trust me, I don't want you to feel bad that you feel the same towards her."

Hikaru looked at Bo, "Well I'm glad she has someone who cares about her so much."

"I care about her more than anything," Kuon smiled before hearing Bo sob and looked over to the rooster, "Are you okay?" he asked as Bo put a wing up to his chest.

"I just feel so thankful for you," she said before Kuon laughed again. So, he now felt like he had relations with both Shou and a giant rooster. Was this really his life?

 **AN:**

So the next chapter is twenty questions between Bo and Kuon and Kyoko's interactions at the end. I want to take the opportunity to thank everyone who has supported me in this fic and give a special shout out to **Ashenvale, blackystevens, DreamIdol, Guest, ladygraywolf, and paulagato** all of who reviewed the previous chapter. I'm so grateful for you guys 😊


	13. Chapter 13 - Get to Know Kuon Hizuri

**AN 1:** Thank you so much for everyone reading and supporting this fic and I hope you enjoy this chapter. I might have taken some artistic license with some of the questions but I had my reasons for doing so 😊 I hope you will entertain my ideas for them even if just for this chapter.

 **Chapter Thirteen – Get to Know Kuon Hizuri**

Kuon offered Kyoko a cocky smile before the next part of the show. This was where they were supposed to play twenty questions at the set of a fancy dining table. Kyoko had already warned her boyfriend that there was going to be a dare in case Kuon wanted to back out of answering any of the questions and unfortunately, this involved something that scared Kuon. Food.

"So, I guess I can just cover up any answers that I don't want to give," Kuon attempted to tell the rooster. "After all, I am an actor. I can just pick and choose the words which I want to use when giving my answers. I can make things sound different just by my word choice."

"Bring it, Hizuri" Kyoko challenged him already in tune with Bo.

The two of them walked onto the stage so that when the cameras started rolling they would already be sitting down at the table and ready to start. Before action was called, Kuon looked across at Bo and smiled. "You know, typically in twenty questions you have to find out what the other person is thinking of, it's not a get to know you lightning round," he winked as Bo shook his head and then turned towards the camera holding his board up.

On the board were the words: Get to know Hizuri Kuon with 20 questions.

Kuon heard the countdown and braced himself. He didn't know how hard the questions were going to be but he had watched the very first episode of the show in preparation for him being on there. He just hoped that they wouldn't pick on him as much as they did Fuwa.

"Action!" the producer called out and a refreshed Hikaru stood in front of the camera.

"So, we wanted to get to know a bit more about our guest though we weren't expecting so much information to be revealed so fast," he laughed weakly. "So, we've heard that Hizuri-san is a really picky eater and so in this game if he decides not to answer one of our fan's questions, he will have to eat some rare and exotic food." Bo looked at Kuon as he saw that gentleman's smile trying to mask the fear in Kuon's eyes about what the foods under the metal cloche were.

"Let's go with the twenty questions," Hikaru announced as Bo lifted the first board and Hikaru read it aloud. "Where were you born?"

Kuon looked down, "Los Angeles, California, United States" he said before seeing Bo tilt his head to the side and so used his Californian accent, " **I was born in California** " he said as some of the fans started squealing. If one could describe the way they were reacting there would be many hearts rising up into the air.

"Okay, question two. What is one of your favorite childhood memories?"

Kuon smiled, this was so much easier after he had uncovered his identity. "Telling my father about my interest in acting and any memory which involves my parents."

Kyoko smiled from inside the Bo costume. She could imagine how happy Kuu-sama would be to hear something like that. She looked at the next card and Hikaru smiled, this was going along very smoothly.

"Name two hobbies that you had as a young child outside of acting," Hikaru said, "this should be fun."

Kuon nodded, "I think I loved being in nature and bird watching, I think that's how the president, Lory Takarda, came up with giving me the stage name Ren. I also loved my martial arts classes and playing sports. I enjoyed being active."

Hikaru nodded, "I think a lot of our viewers can relate to that," he saw the next card. "Do you have a favorite dessert?" he asked and Kuon smiled.

"I'm not one for sweet things honestly, I do get a lot of chocolates from fans for Valentine's Day that I'm really appreciative of, but I think my favorite dessert is rose wine gelee," he said as he raised an eyebrow to Bo who just kept looking back at him with the same expression despite Kyoko blushing underneath the head piece.

"Such an interesting choice," Hikaru stated, "Could you tell me a bit more about why that is?"

"It's more to do with who made me that in the first place. Some of the things that I like are based on experience more than the actual product. I just know that that gelee was rather tasty. I was very thankful to the person who made it for me," he said as he felt the heat from Kyoko's cheeks despite not being able to see her under Bo's smiling head.

"Let's go on with our fifth question. Do you watch comedy shows?" Hikaru laughed awkwardly. This had the chance to make or break Kimagure Rock.

"Honestly," Kuon replied, "I don't watch a lot of TV. I do admire the work that you do here though, I enjoy seeing the four of you interact with your guests. Even though I don't watch TV, you guys do an excellent job."

"We thank you for that," Hikaru smiled, "Okay, this is a quick one. Name one of your favorite movies, the first one to come to mind," he said as Kuon paled and then said weakly.

"Fight Club, it's…it's an American movie that I first saw when I was thirteen," he tried to tell them. "My dad watched it. It's pretty intense."

Hikaru nodded, "I've seen it. Interesting, is that where you got the inspiration for your recent Cain Heel character?"

"Sure," Kuon said as Kyoko looked at him but didn't say anything, she just turned over the next card for Hikaru to read.

"Who is your hero?"

"Kuu Hizuri," Kuon said, "My father has always been and will always be the person that I look up to most."

"If I had a father like him then I'd feel the same way," Hikaru said with a nod. "Next question, Bo" Hikaru smiled weakly as he stared at the words on the next card, "Would you ever want to be a father?"

Kyoko dropped that card as she looked back at Kuon and saw him looking at her.

"Yes," he nodded, "I would like to, but that's a choice between me and my future wife. If she isn't someone who wants children it would be a discussion we'd have to have before marriage. I'd try to follow my parent's examples if I had a child…apart from the need to send them to a foreign country…hopefully."

Hikaru nodded and looked back at Bo as well but no change could be seen in the rooster. "Okay, do you think you're in love?"

"I know I am," Kuon said as he looked back at Hikaru. "I'm deeply in love with my girlfriend, Kyoko, but I'm feeling a few sparks between myself and this rooster as well."

Hikaru forced himself to continue smiling, "Alright, do you have a favorite female actress?" he asked.

"Aside from Kyoko?" Kuon asked with a smile, "I'm very biased about this and have to say without a doubt that I'm a huge fan of Julienna Hizuri."

Hikaru nodded and Kyoko smiled from underneath the head piece. "I think that's what comes from being from such a famous family," he grinned.

"Okay, this is a good one," Hikaru said as he looked at the words on the next question, "Do you have any rivals in the entertainment industry."

Kyoko paused as she looked at the card. Was he going to talk about how much he disliked Shotaro right now? He had to have more tact than that if he was being filmed. Of course it was Ren Tsuruga who had tact, maybe Kuon did everything impulsively. She didn't want to take that chance.

"I do," Kuon nodded, "but I don't want to give names. I think within show business you can't expect to make yourself into any kind of celebrity or role model by putting one another down," he said as Hikaru smiled. At least he could admire that position, he was about to read the next question when there was an unexpected voice and someone stepped onto stage.

"It's because you're intimidated isn't it, Hizuri?" Shou said looking completely pissed off. "You go around acting like a gentleman but all of this is an act, isn't it?"

"Uh…" Hikaru said before gesturing to the cameraman to stop shooting, "Let's take a little bit of a break and then we can come back and finish some of these questions with a super speed round," he said as he looked at the unwanted visitor. "Fuwa-san," he struggled.

"I think there is a little acting in everyone," Kuon said as his eyes showed his dislike for the singer. He could hear the people in the crowd whispering about the somewhat strange interruption as well as a few people asking if this was part of the show and if it was why they had stopped filming. Was this where Kuon Hizuri and Shou Fuwa were going to have a fight? Was this some type of promo for the two of them working together?

"What is your problem?" Kyoko said as she stood up as Bo. "You come to disturb us at work like the idiot that you are. This is my job. I don't come into your recording studio any time you want to sing one of your 'I'm so special' songs. This isn't like it was when we were little, you don't have any ownership of me or right to think that."

Shou laughed, "Well, too bad that you'll have to go and work for my parents for the rest of your life," Shou pointed a finger at Bo and Kyoko sighed and removed the head so that she could look at the person who had treated her so badly.

"I told you that I would never be foolish enough to date Ren Tsuruga," Kyoko said and then smiled with a superior gleam in her eyes. "You might call me a stupid woman if you wish, but no part of that agreement said that I couldn't go out with Kuon Hizuri. I'm going out with Kuon _not_ Ren so I guess I win that bet," she said as Kuon looked between them and sighed feeling a little hurt that he was treated that way.

"It's the same person, same DNA," Shou argued, "You can't think that you can just talk your way out of this, Kyoko."

"It's a different name and therefore I never broke from the words that I actually said despite how much you want to convince me that I did," Kyoko said, "It's something the same as stealing someone's first kiss because you wanted to taste a chocolate you put in their mouth. Now, I don't think you're of any significance to me anymore. I love Kuon and I'm scared of love but that's it. I might not want children but I love him."

"Well that's good, there'd be no more of his genetics in the world after his death," Shou said and Kyoko put her head back on.

"Unless you change your attitude Shou, there won't be any children with your genetics either, that way you will never get onto good terms with your parents," she took her seat back at the table and Kuon sat down with her.

He reached across and took one of Bo's wings in his hand, he ran his thumb down the back of it and laughed. "You are amazing," he told her. "As long as you don't really leave me for some stupid argument, it'll be okay." He looked at her and then bowed his head, "I can't wait until we go on overseas with an ocean to divide us from him."

"We don't need an ocean," Kyoko told him. "I'm already on an island in my mind, just the two of us together, isn't that one of the metaphors for love."

 **AN 2:**

Again, thank you for all of the support that you all give me for these chapters. A special shout out to my reviews of the previous chapter: **brennakai, DreamIdol, jinalanddance, ladygraywolf, and sara**


	14. Chapter 14 - LAX

**AN:** Thank you for your patience in the writing/updating of this fic. I really hope you enjoy this chapter 😊 Thank you for supporting this story.

 **Chapter Fourteen - LAX**

A few weeks later, Kyoko sat at the airport a little nervously whilst she watched Kuon try to check in. Despite the fact that he had offered her a ride and that she knew that he was still early for his planned activities, Kyoko had wanted to make her way to the airport herself. She knew that it was one of her strange feelings of not wanting to be a bother on him but also to assert her independence. He didn't seem to mind.

Kyoko watched as the Japanese-American girl that Kuon was talking to at the check in kept flirting with him and examining his first-class ticket. She could see Kuon pulling back a little as she touched his arm and then all of a sudden, he had turned to her and was calling her over. Kyoko's eyes widened, she had already checked in her bags and taken her ticket. Why did they need her over there?

"(So, this is my girlfriend,)" Kuon told the girl, Naomi, in his Californian accent.

Naomi smiled, "(Oh, okay)" she turned to Kyoko, "May I see your ticket," she said thinking that Kyoko didn't speak much English despite Kuon being raised in America and therefore being an American rather than a Japanese citizen.

"Ye-Yes," Kyoko said as she passed forward her plane ticket and passport, she glanced to Kuon, "Is there something wrong?"

"(she just wants to check it,)" Kuon smiled to her as if there was some kind of secret setup happening here. Naomi took the ticket and then seemed to punch something into the computer which caused Kyoko to feel very nervous. She wanted to know what was happening. When it came to Kuon sometimes secrets were very serious things.

As Naomi handed her a ticket back, Kyoko's eyes widened and she stared at it before looking between Kuon and Naomi. This was a first-class ticket and hers had been business class. She had even tried to reject the business class level ticket at first thinking that LME had spent far too much on her ticket. She had told them she would be happy flying economy but now she had a first-class international plane ticket to LAX.

"It's a free upgrade," Kuon said quickly as he read Kyoko's mind, he gave her a look which was trying to tell her that the most polite response to this would be to accept it with a thank you. "It's the seat next to mine," he grinned.

Kyoko's eyes widened, "Shouldn't Yashiro-san sit next to you?" she asked and Kuon kissed the top of her head, wrapping his arm around her.

"Trust me, Yashiro-san will be comfortable in business class. He always is." He told her and then looked at Naomi, "(thank you very much,)" he told her before dropping down into a bow, Kyoko quickly dropped into a lower bow. "(I look forward to seeing you during the flight.)"

"(Yes, thank you)" Kyoko said in English and looked at Kuon as he held her hand.

As they walked away from the counter, Kyoko looked up at him. "Did you have a plan to get us those seats or …" she looked at his face as he gazed at her confused and sighed. Of course, people would just give him these things, he was probably used to it ever since he was a child. In fact, if she heard some story about how LME had given him the best accommodations because Kuu had been secretly sending large amounts of cash to the president, she wouldn't be surprised.

Now all it took was charm and the fact that he was the actor formerly known as Ren Tsuruga.

"I think there were just open seats on the flight and she saw that I was flying business class anyway so she gave me a free upgrade, it happens a lot when I fly," he confessed as Kyoko paused and then raised an eyebrow.

"Mhm," she said as she stood back and looked at him. Today he looked especially cute, he had a long-sleeved emerald shirt on with a designer hooded jacket and he had blue jeans that really made him look like a fashionable and exotic model. Plus, the fact that he was Kuon Hizuri made a lot of people around them continue to stare at him. Just looking at him made Kyoko think he was going to be on a private yacht or private plane rather than flying with everybody else.

"You look so different with blond hair," she said as she saw Kuon run his fingers through it and give her a questioning look.

"Interesting time to say that today," he said to her as Kyoko froze. She had to deal with the fact that this was a merged person and that it wasn't completely the previous Kuon but it wasn't Ren Tsuruga either. This was the guy who had played around with her when he pretended to be a fairy prince.

"Come on, you're probably leaving Yashiro-san behind," Kyoko giggled as she slipped her hand into his. "I brought some mochi and cookies for your dad and I bought your mother that tea set," Kyoko thought aloud, "Do you think those are good gifts."

Kuon nodded, "They're great gifts, but the best gift they'll get is you coming to visit them. They are really looking forward to it," he told her and Kyoko laughed.

"They are excited because they get to see their son who they haven't seen for a very long time," she grinned up at him. "Don't tell me that you're not excited about seeing them. I think that if you said that to Father it would break his heart."

"Of course I am," Kuon told her. "Also very nervous," he admitted, "but I know that they're looking forward to us staying there. I just…haven't been back since," he bowed his head and closed his eyes not wanting to sigh loudly. It was just a lot to take in.

"So, did you mean to flirt with that woman?" Kyoko asked as she looked back at the check in desk and waved to Yashiro, holding Kuon's hand so he wouldn't leave without him.

"No, I didn't." Kuon grinned playfully, "I only want to make you feel the effects of my so-called charm," he said which caused Kyoko to turn a deep shade of red.

….

….

As soon as they had made it through security and to the arrivals desk. Yashiro was already going over the schedule for the next day. Since during this time, Kyoko was going to be under Kuu's training, Yashiro would only do manager duties for Kuon but once they got to the next stage he would be doing it for both of them.

"I'm so excited to see everything," Kyoko said as Kuon nodded looking at her whilst taking the bags. "I think I'm excited to see Fa—" Kyoko was about to continue before a whirlwind of blond hair, designer perfume, and fashionable clothes suddenly coated her boyfriend.

"You're here," the woman sobbed happily as Kyoko's eyes widened as she saw the height of the heels that the woman had just run with. "You're here. I can't believe you're here," she said as people had to step around her.

"Hey, mom," Kuon said weakly as he wrapped his arms around the woman as well. "Sorry that it took so long."

"You're here and you look healthy and happy and…and you're here," Julie said as she continued to hold her little boy. She pulled back after she had held him for a good five minutes – which gave Kuu enough time to take away the bags so that he could be responsible for them – and tried to dry the tears from her eyes. "Oh my - don't tell me this is a dream or you're not, please tell me you're really here."

"I'm here, mom" Kuon smiled to her. "You still look as beautiful as ever," he said looking a little nervous and self-conscious which Kyoko wasn't used to seeing from him and neither was Yashiro. This was the look that any beloved son would give their mother upon returning home.

"You're here for a month, right?" she wanted to check as he nodded and she wrapped her arms around him again, this time only for a minute before she pulled back enough to look at the two other people that her child was with.

"Hey, Dad" he smiled to Kuu who was beaming with pride as well. "So, I'd like to introduce you to my manager, Yashiro Yukihito," he gestured, "He's the best in the business and has been with me for a long time. I don't think that I would have been so successful in Japan if it weren't for his talents at being my manager and this is Kyoko Mogami, my girlfriend and I don't think I need to introduce her to you," he grinned to Kuu.

"I'm so happy to see you, Father" Kyoko bowed as Yashiro tried to control his fanboying at being in the company of the legendary Kuu Hizuri. "I'm honored to meet you as well, Hizuri-san."

"Julie," Julie smiled, "I'm so glad that my son has such a beautiful, kind, and talented girlfriend. I've heard a lot of good stories about you from my husband," she told Kyoko. "Please take care of my baby."

Kyoko nodded, "I will. I'll definitely make sure that he eats," Kyoko grinned to her boyfriend.

Julie turned to Kuu who was looking at his son with such happiness in his eyes. "Okay, let's get back. I wasn't sure if the two of you wanted to share a room or if you wanted different rooms so I set up two rooms and I've set up a third for you, Mr. Yukihito," she said with such a lovely and graceful manner. She smiled happily before turning back to Kuu. "Our son is back," she told him as if Kuu couldn't see that with his own eyes.

"If there's anything that you'd like us to set up," he told the group, "I have the connections to do so and would be happy to use them. Kyoko, we'll start our training the first day that Kuon has to go to set, would that be okay?" he asked and Kyoko nodded.

"Yes, definitely. I know that the two of you will want to spend some family time with Kuon, I'm just honored to be here and I'm looking forward to spending more time with you, Father," she grinned as Kuon wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close.

"I think we should get out of the way of the arrivals gate though," Kuon commented as Julie looked around, somehow realizing where they were as if it was the first time. Kuon kissed Kyoko on the top of her head as the group headed towards the Hizuri's car.

"So," Kuu said as he walked next to Yashiro so that Julie could have her time with Kuon and Kyoko. "I've heard you're a fan of mine, but please just think of me as an everyday person who is the father of your client."

Yashiro nodded, "You do know though, even if you weren't _the_ Kuu Hizuri. I don't think a person like Kuon could be raised by just an everyday person."

Kuu grinned, "Neither do I. It's because my son sparkles so much, like a newly cut and polished diamond."

… **.**

… **.**

 **AN2:** Thank you everyone for reading, following, favoriting, and reviewing this fic it means a lot to me 😊 Special shout out to those who reviewed the previous chapter: **brennakai, Crazy4Animation, DreamIdol**

Sorry for this advertisement for myself 😉

 **A New Fic of Mine**

I know that everyone likes particular fics and particular storylines, but I just wanted to take a moment and talk about a new Skip Beat fic that I've been writing because I'm super excited about it and I feel that the small summary space isn't big enough.

 **The Cold Body of the Law**

Kyoko is relentlessly stalked by a man who claims to be in love with her. Due to this, Kuon gets extra protective of her which leads for Kyoko to try to escape to have a little time for herself. However, this is the time when the stalker finds her and Kyoko is part of a rape. Kuon tries to protect her but is killed whilst trying to do this.

However, since he died of a heroic act, Kuon is brought back into an identity and body created just for him. He is now Takeshi Chiba, both a legacy and a prodigy in the legal world who is physically unable to say who he was in his past. With Kuu's help, he is able to maneuver it to get close to Kyoko again by being the lawyer on the Kuon Hizuri case. Will Kyoko recognize him through actions or will Kuon have to try as Takeshi to win her affections all over again.

This is all juxtaposed with flashbacks of the early part of the Kuon-Kyoko relationship.

I really hope that I've interested at least one person enough to check this new fic out.


	15. Chapter 15 - Home

**AN:** This is a shorter chapter but I wanted to play with the idea of coming home so there's not a lot of action in it. Anyway, I really hope that you enjoy it. Also, thank you to those who pointed out my error with Kuu last chapter, I have since changed it but thanks for catching it for me 😊

 **Chapter Fifteen - Home**

Nearly everyone speaks the same way about returning to their childhood homes. It's as if one never left, it feels smaller, it doesn't feel as it used to and yet it feels the same. Those were the feelings that Kuon had as he stood in the garage of the Hizuri estate.

This had been where he had gone when he needed complete solitude. This was where his father had last seen him and this was where Lory Takarada had invited him to live a completely new life. It had been years since then, years since the existence of Kuon Hizuri as a living being but now it seemed as if he had never left and if his life had never changed.

Although, when he stood now, the ground seemed to be firmer beneath his feet. He didn't feel as if he were to shrivel up and die or fade away, he felt strong and ready to attack his problems with skill and determination and most of all strategy.

Kuon Hizuri had made it back to the living again.

"So, you _did_ go here," Kuon heard a voice behind him and turned around to see his dad there. He grinned at him and then turned to face him. It was only now that he was realizing how much things had aged. Nobody would call his father old, but he was older than when Kuon saw him every day. He had grown up, but not as much as Kuon had himself.

"Was it hard to enter here after I left?" he asked and Kuu sighed and looked up.

"A bit, harder on your mother than me. There would be these mornings in the beginning, when I would wake up and I wouldn't be able to tell myself that you weren't here anymore. I'd come down here looking for you and then it would hit me that you weren't Kuon anymore," Kuu smiled weakly. He smiled to his son and watched him. "You look so much…"

"I know, I look older but you know if my hair and eyes weren't these colors I _would_ be Ren Tsuruga and that might look a bit more natural?" he asked and Kuu laughed.

"Wow, seeing Ren Tsuruga standing in this place, now _that_ would be strange," Kuu commented. "No, you look like you have until the age of fifteen," he told him, "It's amazing how much your hair and eye color can make you look like somebody else or it would make you look like somebody else had you not been my child and I had the privilege of raising you for such a long time."

Kuon smiled, "You raised me in the right way. I don't think that if you had raised me differently that I would be the man I am today. It's just when you go through trauma, sometimes you _don't_ see. I'm proud to have the name Hizuri. I'm proud to be your son," he told his father as Kuu smiled.

"Remember to tell your mother that as well," he said as he stood next to Kuon and put a hand on his shoulder. "Remember that even after your work is done, you are always welcome back. We're always ecstatic to have you home."

Kuon smiled peacefully, "Thanks, Dad" he said as he took another look around and then followed his father back to the main house.

…..

…..

Kyoko smiled as she saw the different pictures of a young Kuon that Kuu and Julie had around the house. They really were the loving parents who cared about their son more than was to be expected. She smiled as she saw multiple trophies and certificates proudly displayed. She saw photographs that Lory had sent them of Ren that they had framed and put on the wall to share their pride in their child's accomplishments.

"He did so much," Kyoko said as she looked at the different photographs, "You've displayed it and…" she froze as she saw a high school diploma for the high school she attended. She looked at it and ran her finger under the name: Ren Tsuruga. She looked at Julie not sure how to ask the question that was obviously on her mind.

"How did he manage to go to high school?" she asked and Julie grinned.

"That kidnapper did a lot of things I disagree with, but he promised me that he wouldn't let Kuon not graduate high school so he had a friend who was on the board or was the headmaster or principal or something and he managed to get Kuon enrolled as Ren so that he could graduate from high school. I do wish that he'd go to college but since he wants to be an actor."

"That's great," Kyoko grinned. "He must have been a good student when he -"

"He was top of his class until sophomore year of high school," Julie said proudly. "He was the sophomore class president and he was even on the freshman student council. He was one of the school's star athletes, always got the lead in the school plays, and he was very popular with the girls, you should see his yearbook from the first two years."

Kyoko was about to speak but Julie had already skipped away from her. Kyoko smiled as she looked at the pictures of Kuon as a teenager, picking up his class photo from the sophomore year. He definitely did look like a heartbreaker and she blushed over how adorable he was. She probably shouldn't use the terms adorable or beautiful to him in person.

She paused as Julie slipped a book into her hands and saw that it was a yearbook from Kuon's second year of high school. Kyoko paused, should she be looking at this? Was this a breach of his privacy? As she opened it, Kyoko saw that there were a lot of people who had written or signed it. She flipped through some pages and saw that everyone wanted to pay him attention at school. This was different from the stories she had heard.

She looked through the pages of the book where Kuon was photographed quite a lot and then got to the back pages. She froze as she saw that there was an entire page that Rick had signed. Nobody else had been given that much space.

She paused as she looked at the top of the page where the words were: "Rick's top ten list of not being a pussy this summer – a gift to Kuon Hizuri, you're very welcome by the way."

Kyoko looked at the page and her eyes started to fill with tears. This is what a guy would write to a close friend, full of jokes and comments about the world. Yet, it was almost as if this was a brother writing to him. Kyoko was just starting to sense the impact that Rick's death must have had on Kuon. If Moko had died, then Kyoko wouldn't know how to handle it.

Julie looked over the page and smiled weakly, she closed her eyes as she thought about her son's friend. "I suppose that Kuon has told you about Rick," she said and Kyoko paused.

"Only that he died," she told Julie and then took a deep breath in before looking at another photograph. She laughed softly as she looked at a picture of Kuon and a chicken that looked like he had kept as a pet. Kyoko turned to Julie, "Did Kuon keep chickens?" she asked.

"He kept _that_ chicken," Julie said. "You know, when Kuon was growing up he loved being in nature. He especially liked watching the birds. This chicken followed him around everywhere but he didn't seem to mind. Kuon's always enjoyed birds," Julie said and she heard a chuckle as Kuon entered the room.

"I especially like rooster mascots," he winked at Kyoko, "So, you're not showing her -" he froze as he stared at the wall. "You made me a shrine?" he asked. He stood there stunned, that had not been there when he was growing up. His parents had proudly displayed some things of his, that was true, but this looked like an obsession. He saw his mother place her hands on her hips.

"I needed something to make sure I thought of my baby boy each morning," she said as Kuu smiled.

"It's my favorite part of the house," he told them, "Well, one of the two."

"One of the two?" Kuon asked as he looked at the wall, "Do you have another shrine somewhere?" he asked nervously before Kuu looked up.

"I'd call it the bedroom that my son slept in when he was growing up, his old room," Kuu turned to Kuon who smiled in a shy way. "We may have organized it a little but we wanted to leave it so that _when_ you returned to us, you could sort it out and decide what parts of your past you wanted to keep and which you wanted to give away."

"Thank you," Kuon smiled, "I'll make sure to do that soon." He looked at them guiltily, "I'm sorry that I didn't make it back sooner, I'll try to visit more frequently."

"Well since Japan knows, we'll be coming back there a lot too," Kuu smiled.

"You bet. Now I can actually get on a plane when I miss you too much and everyone will know why," Julie said as tears came to her eyes, "No more secrets."

Kuon nodded, "No more secrets," he took a look around and then smiled. "I'm going to make sure Yashiro has everything set up and discuss my job assignments for the day after tomorrow. Maybe tomorrow I could take you for a walk along the beach," he told Kyoko who looked excited.

"Just don't try and go underwater with your clothes on again," she joked and Kuon nodded.

"I'll make sure to take them off right in front of you," he winked before walking off and Kyoko smiled to herself as she took in the house that her boyfriend had grown up in, the one he had left so suddenly. So, this was what it felt like to have loving parents. She wished she had known that feeling.

"You must really like having him home," Kyoko commented as she bowed her head and Julie laughed.

"You have no idea."

 **End Chapter Fifteen**

 **AN2:** Thank you everyone who supports this fic 😊 Special shout outs to: **brennakai, DreamIdol, ladygraywolf, Metalia-legwll, and Sara.** You guys are amazing, thank you 😊


	16. Chapter 16 - Date at the Beach

**AN1:** Wow, it's been about a month since I last updated this so I'm really thankful that you guys have been patient with me. Recently I've found myself exhausted by my school work (I'm studying court reporting and have to spend a lot of time on my machine) and by my work work (I get given about 25-30 hours a week in retail sales and sometimes this can be some long and strange hours). 

I've really been trying to do my best at both but thank you for your patience and I hope you enjoy this chapter 😊

 **Chapter Sixteen – Date at the Beach**

Kyoko was amazed as she walked down the street with her hand in Kuon's. She smiled up at him and attempted to avoid the girls who were sneaking looks at him and some who even delivered envious looks to _her_. This was America and she was already starting to love it, or maybe that was just because this was where Kuu and Julie lived, this was where Kuon was brought up.

"So," she said as she looked at him, "Where did you pick for us to go?" Kyoko gave a curious smile. Kuon knew America so much more than she did, well California at least, she wanted to have him experience home again.

"I thought that you'd want to go look at the makeup and fashion stores," he told her as Kyoko paused. She tried to keep her inner fairies from dancing around at the idea of seeing the luxurious makeup and fashion shops that Rodeo Drive was known for. No, she had to control herself. She wanted to do whatever would make her boyfriend feel happiest.

"I don't want to go," Kyoko said stubbornly as Kuon looked at her in shock. "I want to learn more about you, this is where _you_ grew up. I want to see your favorite places."

"Well, there's a lot of LA to see. We don't need to visit some of the places that I like, it might not be as exci—" Kuon said as Kyoko gave him a stern look.

"When we met and you were Corn, you told me that what you really loved was being one with nature. Now, most kids don't say that so that's probably what convinced me you were a fairy. You seemed to know all about the plants and trees in _Kyoto_ and you pointed out all the birds and could talk with me about them. Surely you have some places that _you'd_ want to revisit."

Kyoko's look was one that Kuon wouldn't be able to get away from no matter how hard he tried. He kept gazing at her, his mouth opening and closing like a fish as he tried to find some way of getting things the way that _he'd_ like them to be.

"So," Kyoko said as she looked around, "What is your favorite thing about this place, what is something that you've really missed?" she asked with a warm smile and Kuon couldn't help but smile back at her.

"I guess I've missed walking along the coast," he said as Kyoko nodded with a grin on her face.

"Then we'll go to the coast and we'll take a walk. I know that I joked about you getting into the sea with all your clothes on, but if that's what you want to do then we can do it. I think that my outfit would be alright," she said as she pulled her shirt out so that she could take a closer look at it.

Kuon's eyes widened and he reached out for her, "No. If we're going to the beach, we're going to get you into something else," he said as Kyoko smiled seeing that expression. She knew that Kuon was in love with her, but that protective expression on his face only showed her how much he really did love her.

"Well then you're going to have to wear something else too, so that I can take a look at your body," she grinned before blushing. She was still getting used to being his girlfriend and she wasn't used to saying things like that. Maybe it was more of the thing that Setsu or even Natsu would say. Still, it wasn't those two who got the honor of being with Corn, it was her.

"That so?" he smiled as he came over to her, "Well, you just tell me when and where and I'll let you take a long look at my body at any time," he said as Kyoko turned a deeper shade of red. Was he making fun of her? She wasn't sure but she suddenly felt as if he was. He had promised to take things slowly with her, but was slowly defined differently in America than Japan. He touched her waist and sent shivers through her body.

"Well I hope I'm the only one you say that to," she said as she attempted to match him, but Kuon could tell that she was pushing through the blush that had seemed to take over her face. He hummed and gently pressed his lips to her cheek seeing her start shaking with a smile.

"Of course, I am _yours_ Kyoko-hime for as long as you want me to be," he smiled as she turned and placed a hand on his chest before seeing him tilt his head to the side in a very adorable manner which caused her to scream inside about how cute he was. She had thought her heart was ready for this, but not only was her boyfriend sexy but he was adorable as well. How did she get this lucky?

"So, we can go back to the house and then swim at the beach?" she asked him and Kuon nodded.

"That sounds like a fair compromise," he said as he took her hand and started to walk in the direction of the rental car.

…..

…

Kyoko smiled as she stood in her swimsuit, which was a white lacy two-piece with little tiaras sewn in and a fabric that glittered in the sun. Kuon was expecting her to have a one-piece on due to her modesty so he had had a mixture of surprise and delight when he had saw what she was wearing. However, he could hear some idiots talking about her and how they wondered if she was underage or not. As he watched her, Kuon had to think about how beautiful she was and how he was very lucky that he had had found her before anyone else.

"Aren't you going to join me, Kuon?" Kyoko called out as she saw Kuon at the edge of the water, just watching her with a blissful expression. "It's not too fun on my own."

"How can I not gaze at beauty?" he asked her as Kyoko came over to sit beside him.

"Isn't it more exciting to interact with the beauty in the world rather than just watch me?" she asked as Kuon smiled at her and pulled her close to his chest.

"Yes, the sea is beautiful, but it's not the true art I was referring to," he smiled before shaking his head with a grin on his face. He took her hand and led her back to the water. "You know, the sea creatures in Guam were ones you could get close to. I do appreciate the water though, I spent a lot of time playing here as a kid...well when I wasn't attempting and failing to become an actor."

"You admitting that you're human so easily is one of the things that let me like you so fast," Kyoko smiled as she felt Kuon wrap his arms around her as a wave came towards them. He lifted her to him as the wave came and Kyoko was surprised that instead of the water she was sinking into his kiss. "You know, my lips are going to get dry, is that right for an actress to have to endure that?"

"Yes," Kuon nodded. "Any actress who is my girlfriend will have to live with it, you wouldn't want to be punished, would you?" he teased her and Kyoko let her arms drape over his shoulders.

"I know you wouldn't punish me too much, you don't do that to people you love," she told him as Kuon smiled at her. As he had his back turned to the water, he wasn't able to see the wave until it hit him in the back. He managed to keep his balance though but moved Kyoko a few steps backwards without her noticing.

"Does your filming start tomorrow? I was thinking maybe we could go to an aquarium like the dates you see in the media all the time," she grinned as Kuon gazed upon her with such adoration in his eyes.

"We can definitely do that," he said as a wave knocked Kyoko over. Instantly, Kuon was holding her and placing his head against the sand so he could catch the back of her head. He gazed upon her with the eyes of the emperor and let his tongue slide over his lips. He gently cupped her cheek.

"Do you know from this angle you look just like a mermaid?" he asked her and Kyoko allowed herself to touch both his cheeks and kiss him.

"Only if you're my merman," she said with a playful grin. She knew that being here in America, the place where Kuon had grown up, this was going to be an adventure that she would hold in her heart for a long time.

…..

…..

Today had been a good day, or at least Kyoko liked to think so. It was strange thinking that you could have so much fun with a man who truly loved you, but then Kuon was so different than Shoutaro had ever been. Shou had never loved her, he had never prioritized her, he had never said the words which filled her heart with light in the way that Kuon had.

After their day at the beach, Kuon had been able to persuade Kyoko to come shopping with him and he had even taken her to a beauty salon and sat with her despite not having anything done himself. Shou wouldn't have done that, he would have complained about it being boring but Kuon had sat with her and they had had a fun conversation. If this was what love was like then she really regretted swearing it off for so long, but then maybe if she had looked at love more favorably, she wouldn't be with Kuon at this moment.

She turned to look at her boyfriend and her eyes widened as she saw him turn a deathly white, his hands were shaking on the wheel and he kept muttering under his voice, his eyes wider than she had seen them all apart from one time.

"I'm not going to hurt anyone. It's not going to happen again," he repeated as if saying a mantra and Kyoko watched him turn paler and paler. "The blood is gone. It's gone."

"Kuon, pull over," she tried to instruct him but he was too far gone for that, he seemed to be spinning in circles within his own head. "Kuon," she said, "Ren?" she asked as if that would help him maintain control. Kyoko sighed and made sure there was no traffic around before she guided him to the side of the road and turned off the engine.

He wasn't moving.

"Kuon," she asked as she touched his upper arm. He seemed to be spiraling out of control and she took his hand feeling the same iciness as the last time. "Tsuruga-san?" she asked as she tried to click her fingers in front of his face. She looked at him before her heart jolted as he leaned forwards and his whole body started shaking as if he was under some type of seizure.

"Kuon?" she asked as she kissed the top of his head, sniffing the blond strands and placing what was meant to be a comforting hand on his back. "Corn?" she squeaked as he completely broke in a way that she had never seen before. She kissed him again before pulling out her phone. What on earth had happened to him? She called Kuu whilst still attempting to hold to him and making sure that nobody was watching them.

What had just happened?

 **End Chapter Sixteen**

 **AN2:** Again thank you to everyone who reads and supports this fic and thank you again for your patience in the upload. A special shout out to the reviewers of Chapter Fifteen: **brennakai, Emma Lasagna, and paulagato**


	17. Chapter 17 - Road Signs

**AN:** I feel like a lot of people understood where I was going with the previous chapter but some people didn't. I hope that this chapter clears up any questions. Thank you for reading 😊

 **Chapter Seventeen – Road Signs**

Kyoko nervously held her phone to her ear as she watched Kuon turn pale and reached out for him. As soon as Kuon lost consciousness, Kyoko moved him onto her lap and let her fingers comb through his hair hoping he'd wake up. She was so glad that she had made them pull over, losing consciousness in the middle of the road would have led to an accident. The fact that they were in LA made that more of a possibility.

"Hi," Kyoko said as she remembered when she had had Kuon on her lap during the Dark Moon shooting. "It's Kyoko, father are you able to get out here. There's something - something's happened to Kuon and he's currently unconscious and…." Kyoko paused as she heard Kuu's concern, "I mean, no there's nobody else here. I don't know what happened? Where are we?" she asked before looking at the two street signs that she did see.

After she repeated them, Kuu's voice turned calmer and he seemed to understand the strange situation that they were in. She smiled as Kuu told her that he was on his way and then turned her attention towards Kuon. "Corn, what is it?" she asked, blushing a little as she thought about how his head felt. "Corn, please be okay."

She slid her hand down until she could feel his pulse. It didn't seem as if he had had some kind of attack, it didn't seem bad enough to send him to the hospital, but what _had_ happened? Kyoko kept her eyes on the clock in the car. He should have regained consciousness by now right? She looked over him. What if it _was_ something more serious and she was just sitting here and not taking him to the hospital. She looked at him again, he seemed to be breathing though these were more nervous breaths.

Had something scared him? Maybe a trigger of something? What was bad enough to completely break him like this? "Kuon?" she asked again. Finally she heard something, a weak voice – and weak was never the word she described Ren being -.

"Kyoko," he said as he continued to stay on her lap.

"Yes," Kyoko asked as she felt his forehead. There wasn't a fever there, he seemed to be okay as far as the usual tests told her. He had just had a panic attack and fainted, but then did Kuon _get_ panic attacks.

"I can't get out of the car, I can't stand there…not again," he whispered painfully and Kyoko continued to let her fingers roam his hair.

"Nobody's asking you to get out of the car, Corn. You don't even have to go up if you don't feel well. Do you think you could try to tell me if you're okay?" she asked before Kuon felt his stomach hurting him. If they were anywhere else, he would have thrown up on the ground outside the car but he couldn't go out there and he had to swallow it.

"I…I was fifteen…" he said as Kyoko nodded. "I was a stupid fifteen-year-old," he closed his eyes and Kyoko paused.

"We're all stupid when we're young. I think I've definitely made my own share of mistakes," she attempted to tell him but Kuon shook his head.

"I was standing here when I….I saw…" Kuon started shaking again and Kyoko attempted to draw his body closer to hers. She saw how his hand went to where he had used to wear his watch. Everything seemed to be clicking together at this point and although she was scared of his reaction, Kyoko had to make sure.

"Kuon, is this where…your friend died?" she inquired. She didn't want to trigger Kuon to get worse by saying Rick's name but it seemed that that was why he was like this. Of course, if she had lost Moko-chan in an accident that she felt she was the cause of, she would never be able to see that spot again. She would try to avoid the memories of that happening as much as she could.

Kuon nodded uneasily. "I cost him his life. I cost Tina her future with him. They would have gotten married, they would have been living together. I caused -"

Kyoko pressed her lips to the side of Kuon's head. "I know," she said not wanting to cause an increase in his emotions by disagreeing with him. "It's alright. We'll get through this together, okay?" she said. "I promise that I'm not leaving. I promise that I'm not scared of you, okay?" she asked and Kuon nodded shakily.

Despite Kyoko attempting to hold him down so that there could be no further triggering, Kuon looked up and stared at the world around him. As he looked forwards, he started shaking again and Kyoko allowed herself to wrap her arms around him. "You shouldn't look," she told him before seeing him get out of the car. "Kuon! Stop it! Stop pushing yourself. I don't care if you get scared sometimes, I love you, things like that don't matter. Remember that I told you about pudding?" she asked, "and Shotaro laughing at those comedy shows. I accepted him for that. I can definitely acc-"

"I wonder if the blood's still there," Kuon said as his eyes widened and he seemed to have broken from reality again. "I wonder if you can still -"

"Kuon," Kyoko said as she saw him start to walk forwards. He wasn't paying attention to the traffic, it was as if he had given himself a self-fulfilling prophecy and that because he was paying so much attention to the fact that Rick had died in this spot, that he was going to get hit by a vehicle as well.

No! One thing that Kyoko Mogami would _not_ do is watch her fairy prince die right in front of her?

"Stop it, Kuon!" Kyoko begged as she took his hand and attempted to pull him back. "Let's just wait by the car and talk," she wrapped her arms around him and started to bury her face in his chest. "Please? Please can we just wait here and we can talk. Kuu-sama's coming and he'll -"

"Kuon!" Kuu said as he stopped his car behind theirs. Seeing Kyoko look back at him helplessly, Kuu rushed and stood between Kuon and the busy street. He knew how this location affected his son and he would rather a car run him over than Kuon get hurt. "I will not allow you to do this! Do you hear me!?" he yelled as Kyoko looked at him.

She saw the love that Kuu had in his eyes and the desperate way in which he was attempting to control the situation. As Kuon shook this time, Kuu stepped forwards and wrapped his arms around his son despite his son being so much taller than when he was a teenager. "It's okay, everyone has those weak points." He told him before looking at Kyoko.

Kyoko stepped back as she heard a loud bang coming from Kuu's car door.

"Don't ever try to lock me in that car when my son is in trouble, Kuu Hizuri" Julie said as she came out and Kuu felt Kuon sink onto the ground. Julie crouched down in front of her son. "Hi, sweetheart," she smiled as she kissed his forehead. "Let's go home now, okay?" she asked as she tried to direct him and Kyoko to their car. "You can drive the rental one," she told Kuu as Kyoko quickly handed him the key.

Julie opened the front door for Kyoko but Kyoko just slipped in next to her boyfriend who was starting to fall asleep. Julie smiled and shut the door as she saw Kyoko keep a close eye on the young man. She was very glad that her son had been able to find someone like Kyoko. "I'm sorry that that happened," Julie told her and Kyoko paused.

"It's something that is always going to be a part of him," Kyoko said, "Do you think that we should get him checked out? I thought that he was okay. I know that -"

"I was trying to show my sympathy for your date ending like that. Kuon's going to be fine, he has you," Julie said as Kyoko blushed.

"I'd prefer to be with someone honest than someone who has to pretend to not like pudding," she told her boyfriend's mother. Julie looked surprised before starting to follow Kuu to their home.

"Someone who doesn't like pudding?" she asked.

"It's a…it's sort of an inside joke between Kuon and myself. It means, I'd prefer to be with somebody who isn't afraid to show who he really is," Kyoko tried to explain.

"Trust me, Kuon wouldn't feel safe breaking like this in front of anyone. The fact that he didn't try to escape says a lot about how much he loves you." Julie made an attempt to explain.

Kyoko blushed at that.

…..

…..

Was it wrong to go into the bedroom of your boyfriend just to make sure he's okay? Did the stage of the relationship have something to do with it? What if it was after seeing him the way he was when he was scared or weak? Did that entitle you to just knock on his door.

Kyoko didn't know.

Why was it so difficult to do it now when she would knock on Shou's door as a child and just ask him if he needed help? Kyoko sunk to the floor with the mug of hot milk and placed it beside her. She wrapped her arms around her knees and tried to concentrate on her breaths. She wanted to make sure that he was okay, but she was scared. She had seen a lot of different Rens and some different Kuons, but the man that she had seen that night. Could she help him?

As she sat there, she heard the sound of a door open and she looked up at the blond. "Hi," she said as he yawned and stretched before approaching her.

"Hey, were you waiting for me?" Kuon asked and Kyoko paused, she looked down before blushing slightly.

"I wanted to make sure that you were okay, I brought you some hot milk in case you wanted to talk. It's supposedly good for you and there's milk in it which has a lot of things that the body needs daily. I thought that maybe if you couldn't sleep then we could talk about what -" Kyoko bowed her head, managing to stop herself from completing that sentence.

She shouldn't push too hard to have the two of them discuss that night's events. Those were most likely events that Kuon would never want to talk about.

"I'm sorry for worrying you, but I should be fine. Do you remember when I had those bad feelings whilst we were the Heel siblings and I just wanted to sleep holding you?" Kuon asked as Kyoko nodded.

"I think I can get to sleep this time without counting fairies if you're holding me. I don't want to do anything more than snuggle but I'd be happy to share your bed with you," she said before her face turned red and she smiled softly. "That is if you don't mind."

"Of course, I don't mind," Kuon said as he kissed her and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. He pulled back. "My point was that I've dealt with the sadness by myself in the past. I'm certainly prepared to do it in the future."

"But I don't want that," Kyoko said stubbornly as Kuon looked at her. "I mean, I don't want you to be sad. I want both of us to make one another happy."

Kuon smiled lovingly, his whole face brightening. "Okay," he nodded. "Let's work on doing that together." He kissed her hand and shared a smile with her. So there was still darkness out there, but he had the strongest light now: Kyoko.

 **End Chapter Seventeen**

 **AN2:** Thank you so much to everyone who reads and supports this story. Special shout out to the reviewers of Chapter Sixteen: **brennakai, DreamIdol, PaulaGaTo, RichkeyZero**


	18. Chapter 18 - Fish Out of Water

**AN:** I hope you enjoy this 😊 The last part was especially fun for me to write.

 **Chapter Eighteen – Fish Out of Water**

Kyoko grinned as she took a picture on her phone of Kuon watching some of the tropical fish with a smile on her face. She knew that he was taking pictures of her before she could realize that he had, but she wanted some pictures of him too. It was strange how she kept thinking about her thoughts of 'Tsuruga-san looks good with blond hair and green eyes' but she did. He was after all Ren Tsuruga as well as Kuon Hizuri whether he wanted to think of himself that way or not.

She came over to him and let her hand slip into his as she grinned at him happily. "You really love animals, don't you?" she asked as he smiled and nodded. "You know, I keep thinking about when we were filming Dark Moon together and we went on location shooting. You were so protective of me," she said as she pressed a kiss to his shoulder.

"Well, I knew who you were and I've always wanted to keep you safe," Kuon told his girlfriend as he wrapped an arm around her.

Kyoko smiled, "I now and I appreciate that. I was thinking of that morning though when we were both in the woods. I saw you looking at the birds and you even pointed a couple out to me, do you remember?" she asked as he nodded and smiled at her with such a peaceful expression. "A lot of celebrities are only involved with animals if it improves their image, but I've known that when you were Corn, you still loved animals. It's one of the ways you show your kindness."

"Wow, I'll have to remember that," Kuon chuckled as he looked at the fish.

"You know, maybe it won't happen but I really hope it does. Maybe if we ever settled down together," she blushed as she said this and Kuon looked at her, first there was a little surprise in his eyes but it swiftly changed to affection. "We could get a puppy."

"I'd love that," Kuon admitted before he gave her a playful smile. "So, you've really been thinking that there's a chance of you settling down with me."

"You can make fun of me if you want, but I've never known anyone like you. You can call me inexperienced if you want," Kyoko blushed as she looked down. Was this as bad as telling Shou that she wanted to be his bride? Was she just slipping back into her old ways? She couldn't allow herself to get hurt or taken advantage….but Corn wouldn't do that and Ren wouldn't do that. She trusted that Kuon wouldn't do that to her. He wasn't an arrogant jerk like Shotaro.

"I think you are very sweet and very adorable," Kuon grinned to her. "I love you, Kyoko."

"I love you too," Kyoko smiled as she allowed her head to rest on his chest. "However, I'm not going to become a housewife and I don't know if I want kids. I want to continue my career as an actress."

"I would never stand in the way of that." Kuon smiled, "I mean, maybe that's what Japanese guys might be like but I doubt that. I don't think anyone who truly cares for another person would force them to sacrifice their happiness. Plus, I like the idea that the two of us could star in the same projects together."

"You know you can't control me with your acting anymore," Kyoko teased him and Kuon laughed.

"I wouldn't want to. It's rare that I meet someone on my level of acting and sometimes I think your skills in certain areas are beyond my own," he smiled to her. "Shall we go and see the dolphins now?" he asked and Kyoko nodded as she took his hand and walked by a few more tanks to get to where the dolphins were.

Kyoko grinned at her boyfriend and came nearer to him. "I'm so lucky," she told him as he gave a questioning look. "I found my prince."

…..

…..

After they had finished at the aquarium, the two lovers had found a small bookstore with a café inside it. Because they had some time to spend before the Hizuri parents were expecting them back, they had both decided to look inside. Kyoko was eager to get a book in English that was hard enough for her to continue testing her skills but not so hard that she wouldn't enjoy it. She was also getting a little hungry and she knew that it was best to point out if she was hungry to Kuon because he never really noticed it by himself.

As she looked at the different fiction books, Kyoko could hear a story being read to a group of children who were looking up at woman with a book and wearing a princess hat made of paper on her head. She wished that she had been able to experience this as a child. However, she had adored the princesses and it was her fairy prince who had given her enough strength and support to know that even if princesses didn't exist in the way that a fairytale would show them, there was always the dream of a Disney princess life.

"The prince was so handsome that the young girl couldn't resist gazing into those emerald eyes. Not only were these eyes gorgeous but they had a lot of kindness in them. Maybe this prince could understand her and make her feel as beautiful as any princess. He looked strong and noble and the girl found herself wishing that he was her prince – oh no, that was just silly of her…or was it?" the woman read to the small children as Kyoko closed her eyes.

" _Mogami-san, are you alright? Did something happen?"_

" _Hello, Mogami-san. How are you today?"_

" _Are you really going to let something like that bother you. I thought you had more guts than that."_

Kyoko smiled as she remembered her past interactions with Ren. He had always been looking out for her and though she wasn't sure, Kyoko had the feeling that he would still support her even if she had chosen another prince. She was so fortunate that she had a prince of her very own. Maybe there wasn't much of a chance that Kuon would come galloping in on a white steed, sweep her off her feet, and carry her back to his castle in an enchanted kingdom; but she had something so much more important: a mature relationship with the prince.

It was just as in Cinderella. The young girl had never felt herself worthy of such a prince. She had had to work for others her whole life and was taken for granted, she wasn't allowed her own freedom until the prince came along. Just like Cinderella, Kyoko felt very safe with _her_ prince. He had a lot of problems that he was attempting to fight through and sometimes he would struggle, but he wouldn't give up on them. That was true bravery.

Kyoko looked through the books on the shelf as she continued to listen to the story, closing her eyes at certain points so that she could truly visualize that man who loved her and see him in the role. Was she acting like a little girl again or were these just the feelings that somebody had when they were in love?

…

…

As Kuon was casually flipping through a newspaper that he had bought whilst slowly drinking the black coffee, he found a woman approaching him. He looked at her and his eyes widened as he recognized her immediately, but she was so different and mature now. "Lorraine?" he asked with a laugh. "Hi," he said to her in English looking sheepish, "[How are you? It's been a long time since we've seen each other.]" He knew the reason though, moving to Japan meant that you didn't come across many of the people you knew when you were younger.

Lorraine smiled as she looked at him with no anger on her face. This was her ex-boyfriend who had let her walk away from him without a protest or a fight. This was someone she had cared for deeply and had just let her go out of his life as he told her that he wanted whatever would make her happiest. "[Are you here visiting your parents? Everyone thought you moved to Japan.]"

Kuon nodded, "[I did. I'm starring in a movie over her but I'm staying with my parents. How are you? How did things in high school go?]"

"[Other than you leaving a whole group of girls worried about you when you suddenly vanished into thin air?]" she laughed as she pulled out a chair and sat with him. "[It's good to see you again, Kuon. I'm glad that you seem to have broken into the acting field. You know, I never really stopped loving you but I found my happiness elsewhere. You were _too_ kind for any of us.]"

"[The…uh-president of the agency I'm in in Japan pointed that out for me,]" Kuon smiled. "[I realize now that I was never really open to experiencing love when I was a teenager. Maybe it's because I kept myself isolated from the world, I am glad that there aren't any hard feelings between us. It's been a very long time.]"

"[When you leave for a foreign country that tends to happen,]" she joked with him before looking around. "[So, you didn't bring a girlfriend with you, maybe a fiancée. I'm not seeing a wedding ring on your finger so…]"

"[My girlfriend is around here somewhere, she's looking for a book so she can sharpen her English skills. She's proficient in it, but if she didn't work hard then she wouldn't be her,]" Kuon smiled. He looked around before seeing Kyoko returning with a book that she had just bought. "[This is Kyoko Mogami, my girlfriend,]" he told Lorraine. "[Kyoko this is Lorraine she's….]"

"[Kuon's-ex]" Lorraine told Kyoko in a straightforward manner, "[be careful with this one. He's too nice to his girlfriends, I don't think he's capable of jealousy.]" Lorraine attempted to tease Kuon who shook his head as Kyoko laughed.

"[I've seen Kuon jealous over who I text and who I spend my time with a lot. He'd definitely fight to keep me,]" she smiled before Kuon looked guiltily up at Lorraine.

"[Then I'm happy for you. Kuon doesn't love easily at least he never used to, but I'm glad that he's found someone who can be with him and who he cares enough about. I guess I never stood a chance,"] she winked at Kuon before holding up her hand with a wedding ring on it. "[I at least found my happy ending. Well, it was really good to see how you've grown up, Kuon. In more than one way,]" she winked again before leaving.

Kyoko laughed weakly as she sat down with him. "Let me guess," she said speaking in Japanese, "You were the kind of guy who would just let the girl do whatever she wanted and she would act like a drama queen to get her own way?" she smiled at him. "I can see why you would be soft spoken but if you never fight for me, I'm tell-"

"Always" Kuon smiled as he took Kyoko's hand in his and brought it up to his lips. "I will _always_ fight for _you_ , Kyoko" he said and Kyoko laughed as she gazed at him. That was all that she needed to know. She reached out and let her fingers slip through the blond strands of hair.

"Can I tell you something?" she asked and Kuon nodded, just watching her. "Your real….voice…is incredibly sexy," she blushed as he looked at her and spoke in the Californian accent.

"[Thank you, princess.]"

 **End Chapter Eighteen**

 **AN2:** Thank you to everyone who reads and supports this fic, I know I say it a lot but it really does mean a lot to me. A special shoutout to the reviewers of Chapter Seventeen: **brennakai, DreamIdol, EmmaLasagna, PaulaGaTo, RichkeyZero**


	19. Chapter 19 - Day One and Counting

**AN:** Sorry that it's been a little bit since the last update of this fic. I've been busy studying for finals and taking finals and balancing work and school. Today is my birthday so my treat is getting to write 😊 also I worked out a schedule so hopefully I should be able to update all of my Skip Beat fics at least once a week 😊

 **Chapter Nineteen: Day One and Counting**

Kyoko was looking forward to training with the man she considered her father figure. She wondered whether there would ever be a day when this man would be her father-in-law, but only Corn would make her wonder such a question. She smiled as she looked at Kuu wondering what they were going to do that day.

"So," Kuu said as he sipped his morning coffee, "How's your appetite? I remember it being a little bad when we first met."

Kyoko looked at him confused, "You mean because I wouldn't eat food that you shoved in a bag and then tossed around?" she asked not really understanding what he was getting at. She hummed before looking forward, "I think it should be Kuon you're talking to about bad appetites and not me, well unless you think I _should_ have had more of that cake."

"It's good to know that you're eating well and I do think you're right about Kuon, but I mean how is your appetite as an actress? Are you still avoiding bullying roles?" he asked her and Kyoko looked down, she smiled faintly. Her dreams of being an actress had started off slowly and compared to those around her, she seemed a little stuck when it came to other genres and other acting parts. However, she loved acting even more than when they had met the first time.

"I'd prefer to have other roles," she told Kuu with a weak smile, "but I'm happy to be in the arena. Sometimes you have to fight and train before you get to do the fights that you want or wear the costume that you want. I still feel that I have to train my body more. Kuon is a _huge_ inspiration for me," she told him and Kuu smiled.

"I'm glad to hear it. My son has performed some roles that he most likely wasn't the happiest with but he's concentrating on the moves which are best for his career," Kuu smiled as he thought about Kuon and now, at least for the time being, he had Kuon back in his life. He wouldn't waste the opportunity to really connect with both of his sons.

"He's amazing and he's talented," Kyoko grinned.

"I admit that sometimes I think that _I_ can't match up to _his_ skills," Kuu nodded, "However, do you still want to keep a strong hunger on the acting world? The last time we talked you were looking at it as something to conquer and win at. I know that it might sound arrogant or that you can't relate, but acting for me isn't about proving my skills or being number one and I can't imagine it for Kuon either. Acting is about being able to wear the shell of someone else and live new experiences in your mind. Let's just say that I might still be a child at heart," Kuu smiled as Kyoko watched him. "Before I show you around the acting community, I want to make sure you have the drive that people will move towards."

Kyoko smiled and gave Kuu a playful salute, "Father, there are only a few things in this world that I care about more than my acting prospects," she said. "Whatever training you have in mind for me, I am more than willing to do it."

Kuu looked at her, "Then this should be very interesting," he said as he got out a number of folders with many pieces of paper stuffed into them. "When I heard from Boss that I would be training you, I found a number of things for you to work on. I'm going to train you to step back into Japan ready to be an actress to represent it."

Kyoko smiled happily and nodded. In her eyes one would be able to see not only her guts when it came to taking risks, but her determination to work hard and carry on working until she had achieved her goal.

…..

…..

Kuon entered the office where the director was for the picture. It was an independent movie, the directors second and he had been a little nervous about hiring an actor from overseas. However, somebody had shown him scenes from some of Ren's work in Japan and the director, Thomas Barnes, was thoroughly impressed with his skills. The director stood and bowed quickly before looking down but Kuon respectfully returned the bow.

"I'm not sure if you got the word, Mr. Barnes, but I'm actually not a Japanese citizen," Kuon attempted to explain. "The president of my agency pulled some strings and I have an amazing work visa that offers me many of the same opportunities as a citizen might have, but I'm an American," he said using his Californian accent as he spoke to him. "It's a pleasure and an honor to meet you. I'm Kuon Hizuri."

"Wow," Thomas smiled, "I'm a fan of Kuu Hizuri and I have to say that I did see some similarities in your style, you must have grown up watching him perform."

Kuon gave a weak smile. He didn't want to offend the man who had asked him to be in the movie with the role of a journalist who was reporting about a psychopath, which gave him a little bit of a 'Silence of the Lambs' feel. However, this was something he had been afraid of for years. Whilst he had made a conscious effort to have an acting style that could be said to be his own, you often learn mannerisms based on who you grew up around and he had spent a lot of time with his father.

"Thank you, however I hope that I have different skills from him," he said to the director as he sat down in the seat that Thomas gestured to.

"I've seen a handful of the titles you worked on in Japan," Thomas continued as Kuon tried to remind himself not to focus on the similarities between his father and himself. "You've done a lot of impressive work but I only saw a small minority of them. Dark Moon was my favorite, that raw energy and the way you formed the character as your own," he tried to compliment Kuon who smiled as he thought about that.

It was most likely for the best that he didn't say his favorite part about filming was working with Kyoko.

"Thank you for acknowledging me like that, I'm very grateful," Kuon smiled before he looked up at the director. "So you wanted to go over some of the things that I needed to know for my character?" he asked and the director smiled.

"Exactly. I also wanted to test out your English language skills but now that I see you've been educated over here, I am confident that you'll be perfect for the movie." Kuon nodded, he didn't want to say how he had only lived in America until the age of fifteen. He wanted everyone, especially the director, to know as little about his life as possible.

…..

…..

After the discussion, which had been longer than Kuon had expected, had ended, he went over to the café where he would be meeting Yashiro. He caught his manager waiting for him and looking over some contracts and so approached the table. "Sorry that took so long," he smiled weakly and Yashiro looked up at him before nodding.

"I wasn't even aware of the time so I wouldn't have known you were late until you just told me," he said before looking down at the paperwork and closed the folder he had put it in. "I also don't consider you late as you did say to leave a gap open at the end in case anything happened so once again, Kuon, right on time. Congratulations."

Kuon smiled before looking up at the counter, "Mind if I get myself something to drink?" he asked and Yashiro gestured that he should go without even thinking about it. "Can I get you something?" he asked as Yashiro looked at him.

"You really are too considerate," he said before looking at the green tea he had ordered and forced himself to drink. "Perhaps some water, I don't know who this café is kidding to believe that this is actually a proper Japanese drink," he said quietly so that he wouldn't offend anyone who worked in the coffee shop.

"Iced?" Kuon asked and saw Yashiro nod before he turned back to his paperwork and Kuon got into the line to order the drinks.

Despite the paperwork in front of him, Yashiro kept having to look at Kuon and how much he fit in in this country. It wasn't that Ren Tsuruga never fit in, but he was tall and sometimes looked too perfect. He had the American way of emitting a confident energy and sometimes it really was too overly confident. Still, here he seemed to fit in more with the rest of the blonds. Yashiro chuckled to himself as he looked down at the table, he never had dreamt that he would be representing someone like this. He had often thought of the American stereotypes but Kuon was different.

Yashiro was lost in thought until he saw someone in the corner of his eye and blinked. He wasn't expecting Kyoko here already. "Hi, Kyoko," he waved her over, "come and join us, though you should tell Kuon if there's anything that you want to order."

"Thank you," Kyoko said as she came over to Yashiro and dropped into one of her formal bows with her hands placed together in front of her. She looked around and pulled a chair up to the table before looking up and saw Kuon in line. Silently she came up to him and took his hand as he looked at her with a grin.

Yashiro really had to admit that he loved seeing Kuon so happy. He had always isolated himself when he had lived as Ren Tsuruga. It wasn't that Ren was a bad guy, he had a lot of traits that were rare to find in other people, but Kuon seemed happier and more natural. Kuon was able to make the mistakes that Ren had always tried his hardest to avoid. It did feel sad the more that Yashiro realized that Ren was always a character of Kuon's that he had made for the sake of working in America but Kuon was a friend and Kuon was open to making friends.

He was happy for him. He was happy for them.

As Yashiro watched them, it came to Kuon's turn to order and Yashiro had to hide a grin as Kuon spoke in his Californian accent.

"[Hey there, how's it going?]" the blond said with the same positive energy he directed towards everyone.

"[Good. Thanks for asking. What can I get for you?]"

"[I'd like a large iced water, a medium black coffee, and a medium lemonade but the Californian lemonade not the original, please. Will that be okay?]" Kuon asked and Yashiro had to admit that seeing Kuon speaking English actually seemed to make more sense than watching him speaking Japanese.

"[Sure thing,]" the barista nodded as he prepared the cups and Kuon paid with his American credit card. Kyoko blushed as she saw Kuon slip a twenty in the tip jar. She pressed small kisses to his arm. Why was this guy so giving and generous?

Kuon took Kyoko's hand and moved over to the side.

"Can I remind you again how sexy you sound when you speak with your true voice," she said and Kuon looked at her with a playful smile.

"Only if I can tell you how attractive you are when you dare to use the word sexy," he smiled playfully as they waited together.

Was this what happiness was?

 **End of Chapter Nineteen**

 **Thank you for reading**

 **AN2:** Special huge thank you shout out to the reviewers of Chapter Eighteen: brennakai, DreamIdol, PaulaGaTo, and RichkeyZero


	20. Chapter 20 - The Question of Kyoko

**AN:** Hope you enjoy 😊

 **Chapter Twenty – The Question of Kyoko**

Kuu smiled as he drove the car to where he would be shooting his latest movie, he turned to Kyoko as she took in all that was around him. He took his sunglasses off as he saw how excited she was. There was no need to have any distance between the two of them. Keeping important people close was an issue for him, but he didn't want to let his fear of what had happened with Kuon leave any bad mark on Kyoko. He wanted her to be truly happy.

"So, we're meeting with the director and the other actors and then you get to see me on set," Kuu said as Kyoko looked even more excited. "Does that sound okay to you?" he asked and Kyoko's eyes widened.

"That would be wonderful," she smiled. Kyoko turned to him with her hands together and over her mouth to cover her mouth, her eyes sparkling like diamonds. "Do I really get to do that today?" he asked.

"Of course, it might not be as interesting as you think though. Even though some of Hollywood's actors are known throughout the world for being talented, they are also divas. Even I can be a diva sometimes but you have to anchor yourself to something real," Kuu told her. "I think you might learn a lot from watching me today, at least I hope so."

"I'm sure I will," Kyoko nodded, "You're a wonderful actor, father. Can I ask you something though?" Kyoko saw Kuu turn to her and nod before concentrating on the road again since the traffic light had changed. "What is it that keeps _you_ anchored?" she asked and Kuu's face softened.

"The same thing that has kept me anchored for twenty-two years," he said as Kyoko looked at him and looked down with a smile. He was talking about Kuon, she knew that he was. She had known how much he loved his son since she had worked with him. "I want to be a good father. I've always wanted to do a great job for my son and to have him look up to me. I want to be a positive role model to him."

"It must feel good to have him back," Kyoko said.

"It feels amazing. I have my little boy back, I know that you say you don't want kids but if that ever does happen whether with Kuon or not, I know you'll feel the same," Kuu said and Kyoko looked down. She was a little afraid of asking him this because she didn't want him to get his hopes up but it was something she had wondered about since becoming Kuon's girlfriend and entering a proper mutual relationship.

"Father, I never wanted kids. I was frightened about even the idea of children, but is it different when you meet someone? Can you start questioning yourself if you're with someone you love?" she said as Kuu's eyes opened just a little and he nodded.

"I think that's how most people feel. You want to have a child with someone that you love because the child is going to have traits from both of you," Kuu told her. "Julie and I both wanted to have at least one child despite our careers and that's how we had Kuon but I'm not sure if I would have been as eager with another woman."

Kyoko looked down. She didn't know what life was ahead of her, but she definitely had a more open mind to the future this time.

"Thank you," she said as Kuu nodded.

"I won't tell him, promise," he smiled at her as Kyoko blushed and looked away, it was really surprising to her just how much she adored Kuon.

…

…

Kyoko was completely taken aback by Kuu's acting. She had to admit that the only person she thought was a better actor was Kuon and maybe that idea was seasoned with favoritism. Still, the rest of the actors were at Kuu's level as well. It was so much different than the work that she was doing but instead of bringing her down, the way that Kuu and his costars worked together was inspirational.

Kyoko smiled as the final scene ended and she saw Kuu approaching her as he grabbed a towel. "So," he said with a grin on his face that reminded her so much of those she had seen Kuon give, "What did you think?" he asked, "A little overwhelming?"

"It was great," Kyoko smiled, "I can understand why Kuon wants to act in America so much," she said before looking down. "I'd love to too one day but I'm not sure if I'll ever be good enough."

"I believe you will be, just don't give up on yourself or your dreams," Kuu said as he gave her a thumbs up. "I'm going to go to my trailer to get changed, you can come if you want."

Kyoko shook her head, "I was going to go and get something to drink, do you want anything?" she asked as Kuu smiled at her.

"You just enjoy yourself, my wallet is in my other pants otherwise I'd be quite happy to treat you to whatever you want," Kuu said but Kyoko shook her head.

"No, I'm okay," she smiled, "I'll see you in a little bit, father," she said not thinking that anyone, especially a nosy and pushy reporter, had heard her say that. As she walked off, Kuu immediately took sight of the reporter trying to capture a story. He definitely wanted to protect Kyoko, he wasn't going to let anyone take advantage of such a sweet and caring girl who hadn't even really made in Japan just yet.

"Mr. Hizuri," the reporter said as Kuu attempted to pretend that he hadn't heard the man. "Mr. Hizuri, if I could have a moment or two of your time."

Kuu looked around, "No comment," he said as the man smiled.

"So I take it that that girl who just called you father is your illegitimate child?" he inquired. It was always the best tactic to have a lie that someone wanted to deny to learn what was really going on.

"That is untrue," Kuu said before putting his sunglasses on, "What paper are you from?" he asked and the guy weakly smiled. He looked Japanese and that pissed Kuu off even more so.

"I'm from NHK international," the man said and Kuu looked up with an exhausted exhale. Maybe he should treat this with more care. Kyoko's acting career was just starting to earn enough of its wings to make little hops in the air now and again. He didn't want to do anything to harm that.

"If you're from Japan, you should know of Kyoko who played Mio in the remake of Dark Moon where my son played a leading role. The two of them are close," Kuu said.

"Is that why she's here? I know that the former Ren Tsuruga is filming in another part of Los Angeles, is that what she is here because she accompanied him on this trip? Is it true that they are in a relationship?" the man asked and Kuu looked at him whilst rolling his eyes behind the sunglasses.

"Kyoko is here because she is getting some personal acting training. Yes, she did come with my son who she is currently in a relationship with but I thought this was old news in Japan," he said as the reporter took down some notes.

"What is the nature of their relationship? How serious are they? What is their level of intimacy?" he asked and Kuu's eyes widened but of course the reporter couldn't see it. If he said the wrong thing then he would either paint Kyoko as a slut or she would be seen as too innocent and might miss out on some roles that might get offered to her.

"No comment," he said firmly.

"Is her calling you father to do with her relationship with Kuon?" the reporter asked and Kuu sighed.

"I'm done talking with you, thank you and goodbye," he said as he pushed past the reporter. Hopefully he had given him enough positive information about Kyoko so as not to paint her in a bad light. He wanted to help her career and wanted to protect her from that kind of person.

…

…

Kuon smiled with satisfaction as the director called for them to finish with rehearsals. Kuon hated to admit it but he finally felt that he was working with other actors of his level rather than having to challenge himself against himself. It was also reassuring when the director had told him so many positives about his acting and acting technique that everyone had agreed with.

It felt that things were coming together and he wasn't sure how he could go back to Japan after this rush of excitement. There were skilled actors in Japan, of course there were, but there wasn't this competition to be the best that seemed to bring out all of the major talents that could be found. Maybe this was his home now, but then again, he had a second home and there was one person he wouldn't be able to leave behind.

As he made his way over to Yashiro, he saw a reporter approaching him and blinked. This man looked Japanese and maybe it was best to start with the Asian-American LA community when trying to make sure his name was well-established.

"Kuon Hizuri, may I ask you some questions about your acting career?" he asked and Kuon looked at Yashiro who had been watching the scene and taking down notes since they wouldn't allow him to make a video recording of it. "I have to go to my dressing room to get changed, could you possibly set something up with my manager, Mr. Yukihito," he said respectfully and the interviewer nodded.

"Certainly," he said as Yashiro dug into his bag to pull out Kuon's appointment book. "However, there are a few questions outside of acting I was wondering if you'd be okay answering."

Kuon nodded, "Okay," he said as he gave a Ren Tsuruga smile.

"So, you are currently dating the actress, Kyoko, who is also here in California?" he asked and Kuon paused.

"I'd prefer not to talk about my relationship with Kyoko out of my respect for her," Kuon said as he wondered whether this reporter would actually go after Kyoko if he had the chance to. He didn't want Kyoko to have her trip ruined by these shady reporters and he wished he had brought sunglasses so he could do the trick with the reporters that his father had mastered.

"So, the two of you are having a bad relationship?" the reporter said.

"No, we're not _and_ no further comment," Kuon continued. He had to think of the best ways of driving the press away. He needed to concentrate on being Kuon Hizuri in LA. He had to think of how he would start to incorporate Kuon into the life he had had as Ren.

"And are you engaged to Kyoko?" the reporter said and Kuon paused.

"No," he said slowly, "Kyoko and I are not engaged. I want to clear up that rumor."

"So, you wouldn't want to get engaged to her?" the reporter continued trying to slam his shovel into Kuon and dig around for any other information. He felt that he had jackpot when Kuon had stood there in stunned silence for more than a minute.

"No…no comment," he said quickly realizing he had been daydreaming of Kyoko saying yes to a marriage proposal. "We're done," he said as Yashiro's mouth hung open a little, "I'm going to my dressing room. No further comment," he told him.

Neither Kuon or Kuu knew how their comments would look next to one another, it would only be a day or two until they would find out.

 **End of Chapter Twenty**

 **Thank you for reading**

 **Special Thank you reviewers of Chapter 19:**

Brennakai, Crazy4Animation, DreamIdol, RichkeyZero


	21. Chapter21 -Somebodys not getting married

**AN:** Thank you so much for your patience in the update of this fic. I hope you enjoy the chapter. 😊

 **Chapter Twenty One – Somebody's Not Getting Married**

Kyoko froze as she picked up a magazine that had celebrity gossip scoops. On the front page there was a story about a female celebrity's plastic surgery that had gone wrong. That was the typical American magazine that would focus on these stories about people who had made mistakes. There were people who were seen as beautiful who had wanted to enhance that beauty and turned into ugly people. Americans were a strange breed.

However, down the side she saw something that had made her very uneasy: Academy Award Nominee Kuu Hizuri welcomes daughter into family. Kyoko blinked at that. Was this saying that Julie was pregnant, how had the magazine got a hold of this before Kuon even knew. Kyoko purchased the magazine before walking over to sit down on a bench and read the article.

As she sat down and turned to the page, she saw pictures of Kuu and her together. She turned to the article and read it. Her eyes widened as she absorbed what it was saying. Most of it was talking about how Kuon was Kuu's son and he had started acting in America. They were discussing his work in Japan as Ren Tsuruga and how the two countries differed when it came to their celebrities.

However, there was also information about how Kuu was teaching _her_ about Hollywood and that he was fully expecting her to join the Hizuri family as a member of it. She paused. Was this taken from the multiple times when she had called Kuu 'father'? Of course that would create some misunderstandings. Maybe she should think of a different -

Kyoko paused as she read that they had also asked Kuon some questions and that he said he wanted to propose to her. Okay, this was something that they hadn't discussed and she wasn't sure how to feel. Becoming a part of the Hizuri family would be exciting and she had never loved anyone as passionately as Kuon…but marriage already?

She had once told Sho that what she dreamed of being when she was older was his bride but those days were long gone and she was a different person. The idea of being a bride didn't feel as romanticized to her. She looked down, trying to figure things out in her head. What was a bride anyway? If someone was a wife did they have to automatically be a mother as well? Would she be okay taking a step behind her husband for the rest of her life?

She took a deep breath as she tried to read the article again.

She needed some explanations for this because, before she even started in America herself, she was being married into the HIzuri family. She didn't remember ever being an active participant when it came to making _that_ decision.

Kyoko needed some answers and she needed them _now_.

…..

….

Kuon looked up as Kyoko entered the house and smiled as he came over to her. He had finished his scenes earlier than planned – he was an amazing actor – and so he was glad to spend time with his parents and with Kyoko. He tilted his head to the side as he approached her and frowned. She definitely didn't look happy. Had something happened? Was it some cultural barrier that she had encountered but he didn't know anything about?

"Are you okay?" he asked as he put a hand to her cheek and Kyoko looked at him firmly.

"Kuon, I'm not really old enough to get married," she said before shaking a little as if thinking that he'd get angry and cast her off. He looked at her surprised and nodded slowly. He allowed his thumb to tuck some of her hair behind her ear and looked at her confused.

"Okay. Did some random guy propose to you?" he asked wondering what the homeless people in this area were really up to? He knew that there was the smile police who would stop you if you weren't smiling, but random proposals. Maybe it was a sociology experiment for one of the colleges around here.

"He wasn't random," Kyoko said before raising an eyebrow, "And he hasn't done it….yet."

Kuon blinked again as he stared at her. He really didn't know what she was talking about. "Kyoko, princess….did you want me to?"

"No, I don't want you to." Kyoko said as Kuon blinked and took a step back. He wasn't sure how to feel about this. Had his parents told her that they wanted him to get married to her. Had his mother started talking about grandchildren? He had asked them to not scare Kyoko off with these kinds of idea. He knew that she wanted the relationship to have a slow pace. Getting engaged was _not_ slow. On the other hand, did this mean that she _never_ wanted to marry him.

"I'm sorry, I don't really -" Kuon said as he looked at her with mixed emotions. "Did I do something wrong?"

Kyoko sighed before passing him the magazine and told him the page that the article was on. She watched as Kuon read it through and then sighed.

"I can't believe this. We haven't been in the country that long and they have to go ahead and print something like this? How desperate are they for a story?" he asked as Kyoko looked at him with her won shock. Instead of talking about what they were saying about them, he was saying that they shouldn't even wind up in an American magazine. Well, it was true. They must _not_ have a lot to report on if they became an article.

"Kyoko, please don't listen to these. Do you know how many magazines there are like this over here. People don't believe everything they read anyway," he looked at her before putting the magazine down. He took a few steps towards her and wrapped her up in his arms. "Please don't let this affect you," he told her as he kissed the top of her head.

"I just want for there to be good articles about us. I want to prove to this country that I can work here one day too and then we can be with your parents more," Kyoko told him as Kuon looked down upon her. He didn't want to tell her how Americans were sometimes extremely racist and that unless she had the talent and popularity of a Lucy Liu, she might not be able to find parts that had a lot of range. This was something that she was dreaming of and wasn't America also the land of opportunity.

Kuon nodded, "Well then, we'll have to do our best to make those articles happen but no matter what happens, I support you. I love you."

Kyoko smiled as she wrapped her arms tighter around his waist, feeling the security from being that close to him. "Thank you, Kuon," she said as she stood there with him anchoring her. "I love you too and it's not that I never want you to propose but I want for us to take our relationship slowly."

"We will take our relationship at whatever speed feels most comfortable to you," he grinned at her before lifting her chin enough to kiss him passionately. He looked at her as if she were the most beautiful person in the world, which to him, she was.

…..

…..

Kyoko couldn't sleep and so she had decided to grab a blanket and go and sit out in the garden and look at the nature around her. She knew that Kuon _loved_ nature and it wasn't hard to see why. She had never had a family which had taken her camping or which she had explored the wilderness with. Shotaro definitely wasn't the type of person who would go out with her to the woods.

Kuon was though.

Corn had always seemed so magical because of his connection to the natural world and his love of different plants and animals. He was active and loved running and jumping, but he was also able to sit still and pet her head and make all the bad things go away if only temporarily. She remembered how she had prepared imaginary food for him and he had eaten it.

Some people – a lot of Shotaro's fan club – had said that she was strange and weird and rejected her because of those traits. Kuon was different. Kuon had always been supportive of her and now that she had met him as an adult, it was as if she had matured herself. She had always been strong and capable, self-reliant in many ways, but with Kuon it felt that she could let her guard down and he would still protect her.

As she sat listening to the sound of nature, she felt someone approach her and she looked up to see her prince standing there with a few more blankets. "I couldn't sleep," she told him and he nodded as he sat beside her. "I think it might be jet lag or maybe my mind's too active, but I really couldn't sleep."

Kuon grinned at her as he wrapped his arms around her whilst sitting next to her. "It's really alright," he grinned, "I couldn't sleep either, or at least I couldn't sleep without you."

"Will you stop feeding me lines," Kyoko teased him as she put her hand through his hair and blushed before putting her hands in her lap and smiling. She didn't know how to really talk about the things she was feeling. Maybe it was having him so close that she could feel his warmth. Maybe it was that she had had that article flow through her mind but she felt her heart beat in her chest.

"What is it?" Kuon asked her sweetly and she looked at him.

"You are _really_ attractive as a blond with emerald eyes," she said as he laughed and looked out on the garden. He gazed up at the moon and took a few deep breaths before leaning back and looking up at the stars.

"Thank you," he pointed to the stars, "Doesn't this feel comfortingly familiar?" he asked her. "I think the reason that I felt so at home in Kyoto is because it is a bit like this yard. Do you think that if we're lucky enough to become a hopelessly romantic, old, married couple, we could retire in Kyoto. Not that I don't love being in California but…"

"I know," Kyoko said as she lay back with him, guiding him back as she did so that she could place her head on his strong and warm chest and hear his inhales and exhales, "I think it would be amazing. Going back to where our story began. Like a full circle."

Kuon smiled.

How was he so lucky to have this moment? To have every moment with her?

 **End of Chapter Twenty One**

 **Thank you for Reading**

 **Thank you Reviewers of Chapter Twenty**

Brennakai, Kris, Machi3663, MWEH, paulagato, RichkeyZero


	22. Chapter 22 - Open Home, Open Mind

**AN:** Hope you enjoy 😊

 **Chapter Twenty Two – Open Home, Open Mind**

Kyoko waited on a bench outside the studio at which Kuon was filming just thinking about the news that Kuu had offered her. He had come to her and told her that one of the background actresses had found a better offer and they needed someone to fill her role and work as a hostess in a fancy restaurant. She didn't have any lines and it was barely a part, but it was something that she could put on her resume.

The scene would be shot the next day and though Kuu had told her not to worry about it since this wasn't anything to the difficulty of her work in Japan, she had wanted to share this with Kuon. She was excited that this might be shown one day to be part of her journey in becoming an American actress.

As she was sitting there, a man walked up to her.

"You understand English?" he pointed to her as Kyoko looked the guy over. He looked like a stereotypical high schooler and she wasn't impressed by his baggy clothes or the fact that he had his phone attached to his hip.

Kyoko flipped her hair back, "A little, why don't you test me?" she asked and the guy laughed to himself.

"Would you like to have a conversation with me over dinner? We could practice," he said and Kyoko rolled her eyes. The amount of self-confidence that this guy had in himself was at a level with Shotaro's. She could speak English but was this boy even worth her time? However, as she looked him over she realized how much of a boy he was and how much better it was being with an older man who actually knew how to treat women right.

"I don't think my boyfriend would like that very much," she said as she turned to see Kuon coming out. She waved at him and he smiled before pointing to the boy with a questioning look. Kyoko shrugged at him and stood as Kuon came over to her.

"I'll meet you back at the house," Yashiro called out and Kuon nodded to him before coming over to Kyoko.

"Hi," he said as he looked at her. Even though they had only been apart for a number of hours, he had really missed her. It was so good to have her here with him in America. He looked over to the teenager. "Can we help you?"

"Uh, no.." the teen said as he took a few steps back and Kyoko looked up at Kuon wondering what he was going to do. "I thought that your girlfriend was younger but I don't play with older women," he said and Kuon smiled in his Ren Tsuruga manner.

"Is that so, maybe that will teach you not to try and pick up random women without even getting to know them first," he said as he wrapped an arm around Kyoko's waist. "I hope that you aren't going around and acting this way to the girls at your school. Have a good day," with that he turned Kyoko around and shook his head with a laugh when it came to the kid.

"So, this story about me being old?" Kyoko asked and Kuon sighed and then shook his head.

"Kyoko, people here are very concerned about people with significant age differences, it's best not to argue about it. We're fine but I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea about the two of us," Kuon tried to explain and Kyoko looked at him with a weak smile.

"Are you sure that you're fine, Kuon?" she asked and he wrapped his arms around her.

"As long as you're comfortable with our relationship then I am comfortable with it too. I love you. I think I've always loved you since you were six and I was ten and now that sounds even more uncomfortable with those ages but it's true," Kuon grinned at her and Kyoko smiled. She placed a hand on his chest and smiled.

"You smell good," she said before blushing and heard Kuon chuckle over that. "Oh," she pushed back and looked at him very excitedly before he could say anything. He looked at her surprised but then nodded showing that he was ready to listen to her. "You know that Kuu-sama is acting in that drama," she told him and Kuon laughed.

"One of many," he told her, "I'm listening."

"I got a role of an extra," Kyoko grinned before blushing and looking down, "It's not that big a role and it doesn't have any lines but -"

"It's wonderful news," Kuon told her as she looked at him with her grin getting bigger. "I'm really proud of you. See, they already can see a talent when they have it. I'm thinking better and better of these Hollywood people all the time," he winked and Kyoko hugged him again.

Shotaro never would have been this supportive if she had received a bit role. He most likely would have told her that she should have done better and that it was a loss for her to admit that she was only playing the role of an extra. He would have said that having the role of an extra only proved that nobody wanted her center stage but Kuon was supportive and kind and those were just two of the many reasons why she was in love with him.

…..

…..

Kyoko and Kuon had decided to take a short stroll whilst walking hand in hand rather than go directly back to the house. Even though there were no stores where they were walking, it was a nice neighborhood and Kyoko was struck at both how similar the houses were and how different. It would be a nice place to live and as she saw a mother with her new baby, Kyoko felt that she could picture herself and Kuon in that situation and she wasn't shying away from it.

She looked at Kuon before kissing his arm and saw him grin to her as he continued to hold her hand. As they walked to an even nicer area, Kuon looked across at where there was a sign for an open house. "Did you want to go in there?" he asked and Kyoko looked at him.

"We're not -" Kyoko said as Kuon laughed at her and shook his head.

"It's alright. When I was growing up, I learned that people go to open houses all the time even if they have no intention of actually buying the property. We won't take up the agent's time and we'll just have a quick look unless you don't want to," he said and Kyoko bowed her head before blushing again.

Kyoko nodded and said quietly to him. "I'd like to take a look inside."

Kuon took her hand and led her inside the building. Kyoko smiled as she looked at the front yard where there were some vegetable patches growing. That would be something that she could find an interest in. She would love to grow flowers in a garden of her own. There were even some flower packs that you could buy that said the plants would encourage fairies to come to the garden.

As they got in, Kyoko looked at the fantastic entry way. The house had seemed quite modest from the outside but the inside was spectacular. She looked at Kuon's face as he smiled and looked around. They walked up to the real estate agent.

"Hi," Kuon said as he held Kyoko close to him, "[Is it alright for my girlfriend and I to take a look around?]"

Kyoko smiled as she listened to Kuon's Californian accent, she would have to tell him to use it more often when they returned to Japan. She wanted to hear his natural voice. Of course, his Japanese natural voice was still his voice but it was something about hearing him speak in the way he had grown up that made him seem more himself. It was something that she would always think of as special about him.

"Shall we take a look around?" he asked Kyoko as he returned to Japanese and she nodded.

As they walked through the house, going to each room and looking at the way it was decorated, the two of them had many thoughts about a house of their own. It would be good one day to have a house that the two of them could decorate together? Somehow it didn't fee threatening or frightening to either of them because they knew that their tastes would go together well.

Kuon loved his car. He loved the outside world. He loved nature.

On the other hand he was smart, he was quick-witted, very athletic, and a hardworking person. Kyoko shared his work ethic and would definitely not be called unintelligent. They could both imagine having books everywhere as well as discussing where they would put certain items such as a coffee maker and a TV and stereo system.

Kyoko went upstairs with Kuon and the two stopped at the first room which was the nursery. Kuon took a step into the middle of the room and looked around. This room had been painted with so much love and there was so much passion in everything within it. It looked as if the person who had been selling this house had put all of their hope and joy into having a child. This was what you did when you knew that you were becoming a parent. Hesitantly, Kuon saw Kyoko with tears in her eyes.

"What is it, princess?" Kuon asked as he walked over to her, mindful of his footsteps.

"I really do want a child," Kyoko admitted. She paused. She hadn't thought that she would want one because of her own childhood. She had always said that if she wasn't sure if she could love the child properly then she didn't want kids because she didn't want them to feel the same way that she had. However, with Kuon it made things so different and so much less scary.

"I'd like to have kids too," he nodded before coming over to hold her close.

"I'd like to have a house with you one day," Kyoko told him and Kuon smiled. He let his fingers run over Kyoko's hair.

"We should look into that when we get back from Japan," he told her before kissing the top of her head. He knew that he wouldn't treat her the same way that Fuwa had. He knew that if they lived together, he wouldn't make her wait for hours or days without knowing if he'd be home. He wouldn't demand food or expect for her to maintain the apartment by herself. He wanted a home not just a house.

He wanted a home where they could be together, their own little sanctuary.

This was the life he had never dared to dream about but she could make it happen with him. What Kuon didn't know was that Kyoko was looking at him with exactly the same thoughts in mind.

 **End of Chapter Twenty Two**

 **Thank you for reading**

 **Thank you, reviewers Chapter Twenty One**

Brennakai, Crazy4Animation, EmmaLasagna, Kris, ladygraywolf, MWEH, PaulaGaTo, RichkeyZero


	23. Chapter 23 - To My Family and Friends

**AN:** I'm really sorry that it took me so long to update this fic. I'm really hoping to update more when the next semester of school starts since I'll have more free time. Hope you enjoy this chapter 😊

 **AN2:** I had originally planned to release this chapter as well as some chapters of other fics at the same time but am busier than I expected myself to be 😊 Hope you enjoy!

 **Chapter Twenty Three - To My Family and Friends**

Lory had no idea what was going on. He had thought that sending Kyoko to Kuu in America would be good for her because it would open her up to opportunities that she might not have had otherwise. However, hearing the American media discussing how his two favorite stars were going to get married was making Japan go over the top with both the women saying they were sad for Kuon to be off the market and those celebrating their upcoming marriage.

As much as Lory adored love celebrations, he knew that the couple hadn't reached that step in the relationship yet.

He ran a hand through his hair as he tried to work out how he could deal with this before the two lovebirds came into the country on their return. He was about to pick up his phone to call his darling when he heard somebody knock on the door.

"it's open," Lory said as he sipped his tea and turned to face the annoyed woman opposite her, "Ah, Kotonami-san, always a pleasure to see you."

Kanae did a quick bow before looking up at Lory with a challenging gleam in her eyes. "Are you going to stop it?" she asked him as he grabbed a seat to sit down. He sighed and placed the cup down. "She isn't even here and we both know that even she's not that flighty to get engaged to a guy that she just started dating.

Lory smiled, "Are you jealous?"

"No," Kanae said bluntly, "I'm disgusted," she saw the annoyance pass through Lory's eyes and she looked up. She sighed and continued to look at the man before her. "I'm not ready to admit to any feelings of love like she is but you have to know that this media storm is going to end in two ways she's either going to have to commit to him and save face or she'll be the woman who Kuon Hizuri doesn't want to marry."

Lory smiled at that. He could work with the way in which she had phrased that. "I hope you are aware, Kotonami-san, that Kuon would say that he would love to marry her but that the timing isn't right for either of them."

"And so what, she's the girl who turned down the former Ren Tsuruga and she'll get hated by his fans?" Kanae asked and Lory hummed at that. That was an unfortunate possibility. He twirled some of his hair around his finger before trying to think of a plan.

"I'm going to go and get myself a plane ticket, is there anything else I can do for you, Kotonami-san?" he asked as Kanae's jaw dropped. Did the president think that him going _after_ the couple would benefit them? Was he really that secure about their relationship?

"No," she said before bowing and looked at her phone wondering whether she should warn her best friend or just see where the cards fell. This would be a challenge to Kuon as well and Kanae wanted to see if he was worth the affections of her best friend.

…..

…..

"Kyoko," Kuu said as he looked ahead of him at the LA traffic whilst being very glad that he had left so much time to get to the location where they would be shooting. He looked at the girl whose eyes were glowing with adoration and grinned back at her. "I have a task for you, nothing to do with acting but I need -"

"Do you need me to get gas? I'm not sure if there's a sidewalk nearby but I think if I stepped carefully enough around the cars," Kyoko said thoughtfully and Kuu checked the engine. He was a lot lower than he thought but they had time to go to the gas station that was nearby. He should have refueled the previous day.

"No, but good eyes," Kuu said as he gave her a thumbs up and Kyoko smiled as she spent time with her loving 'father'. "Please don't do anything that dangerous though, the traffic is a beast out here. I was hoping you could help me with this," he said as he held up a huge stack of unsorted paperwork.

Kyoko tilted her head to the side, "Father, what is that?" she asked, "Do you need me to alphabetize it or organize that?"

"These are all of the offers for different events, interviews, photo shoots, and roles that I've received over the past few weeks. My agent is getting on at me that I need to pick what I want to do but I've not had the time to do it and I've been procrastinating," he continued to smile as Kyoko laughed at how the American side of him could say that so easily. "You think you could sort this out by date and tell me which ones overlap?" he asked her and Kyoko paled.

She took the papers from him as the traffic started moving again and bowed deeply. "I won't let you down, Father. I will guard these papers with my life. Even if the devils want to take them and try to drag me into the underworld with them, I will keep these papers safe."

Kuu laughed, "You don't have to guard them that much," he said as he looked ahead of him. "I know that helping me with my work is going to be a bit different than helping Kuon and even though you don't need to coo-"

"It'll be just like in Japan," the actress said excitedly, "We'll have to find places to eat. Kuon always goes by the placement of the sun in the sky when it comes to when he eats. His stomach is definitely broken."

Kuu smiled as he listened to Kyoko talk about his son. It helped him feel better that he could still see the same similarities between the boy he had raised and the man he was now. Hopefully in time that small gap between them wouldn't be noticeable. "Well I go by my stomach and what my body tells me to eat," Kuu laughed, "I think that if Kuon and I shared one stomach and one metabolism, we'd be perfect but at least I used to let him give me the food that he didn't want to eat, the stuff that Julie didn't force feed him."

Kyoko grinned, "It must feel really good to have him back."

"I don't think you can even understand _how_ good it feels," Kuu told her as he thought about his son. Kuon had taken quite a journey throughout his life to get to the person he was. He had become a great man, a great idol. He smiled softly as he imagined a small hand grabbing his and his son idolizing him. Kuu just hoped that he hadn't taken that little boy for granted.

He hoped that Kuon had never seen it that way and that he had never felt that he wasn't special or loved or appreciated. That was the type of world that Kuu had wanted for him, he had just fallen a little short in the delivery of all of it.

"Father," Kyoko said as she saw him pull over for gas. She knew that there was a colder chill in the air and it reminded her of when Kuon was feeling sad or nostalgic. She placed a hand on his arm and made eye contact with him, "Kuon says that it feels good to be back too. I know that he's really missed both you and Julie-san."

"Thank you," Kuu said honestly as he looked at her. He took a deep breath in before letting it go. "So, I hope you don't find what you'll be doing with me today too boring. I'm going to be doing a scene and I want you to watch as closely as possible and report back to me with what you learnt. I want you to write down as many questions as possible and then I'll go over them with you when we head home. I want you to really try to drink in what being an actress can be."

Kyoko smiled as she looked at the notepad and pen. She felt a surge of excitement through her and she nodded. "Of course and I'll also sort to your paperwork."

"Thanks," Kuu said as he squeezed her upper arm and Kyoko looked forwards, a huge grin over her face. She was going to do whatever she could to soak in the opportunities that this mentee position was offering her. She was going to prove her skills to the entire Hizuri family.

…..

…..

Kuon shifted nervously as he heard the director tell him that he was amazing in his scene. Not only was Kuu filming on location, but Kuon was as well. This particular scene took place in a park and Kuon was trying so hard to drown out the outside world that was distracting him. It was because they were in this place. They were so close to the graveyards. So close to where _his_ parents had chosen to bury him.

Kuon's wrist couldn't stop burning.

He had used to wear _his_ watch on that wrist. He had used to look for _him_ for guidance and yet Kuon was too afraid to approach his tombstone and read the words that Rick had had a short life, an unfairly short life. As they broke for lunch, Kuon looked over at Yashiro and smiled. Some of the American workers who weren't familiar with Japanese actors had thought that Yashiro was Kuon's assistant and they had just not corrected them.

"There's somewhere that I need to go," Kuon said softly as he looked around and Yashiro hummed.

"You're distracted," he commented and Kuon pointed to himself. "Maybe the rest of the cast and crew can't see it because you're at the peak of your acting ability but I've known you for years, Kuon. Right now you're distracted. Is there something about this area that's bringing back a traumatic memory of any kind?"

Kuon laughed at that as his body tensed again, "Why do you say that?" he asked and Yashiro eyed him carefully. Kuon looked down knowing he was busted.

"There's somewhere that I need to go since we're breaking for lunch," he told him and Yashiro hummed whilst studying him. "Someone that I need to go say hi to. Somebody that I need to apologize to and then apologize again that it took me such a long time to go and see him."

"Let me guess," Yashiro said, "Your friend who passed away is in that lot," he gestured in the direction to the tombstones. Kuon nodded and took a deep breath in.

"I wish I could take him some chicken," he said before sighing. Yashiro waved him off and Kuon started to walk towards where Rick was buried. It was so strange. Rick had always been someone that he had idolized and somebody who was older than him. He had thought of Rick as being a big brother to him when he was younger and Rick was the only person who had seemed to want to try to understand him. After he had lost his sunlight, Rick had stood by him and tried to pull him out and that had led to his death.

That was the hardest thing when it came to death, it all just ended. Rick had been older than him all those years ago but now Kuon was older than he was, he had had more chances in life than he had and Rick had drawn the short end of the stick. Kuon wanted to do whatever he could to make it up for him even though he was gone.

Kuon stopped as he saw a woman by the tombstone and felt as if something inside of him was clawing his heart to pieces. He hadn't seen this woman in years but he instantly recognized her as Rick's mother.

 **End of Chapter Twenty Three**

 **Thank you for reading**

 **Thank you, reviewers of Chapter Twenty Two**

KrisXD, ktoll9, paulagato, MWEH


	24. Chapter 24 - I love you, Bro

**AN:** So, just as with many things in fanfiction, when it comes to Rick I'm taking some liberties and kind of writing my own story. I don't know if these will be shown differently in the manga but this is how I wanted to portray it. I really hope that you enjoy it.

 **Chapter Twenty Four – I Love You, Bro**

Fight or flight.

Those were the two words which were spinning around with each other inside of Kuon's head. He didn't know quite what to do as he looked at the woman that he recognized. This woman loved her son as much as Julie loved him and he had been the cause of death for her son. He moved awkwardly as he tried not to make a sound.

When he had first met this woman, he had been a young teen who had only started having troubles in the world, well outside his family's unintended neglect. He had been bright eyed, fresh faced, and full of wonder in the world. He had been someone who had gone out to buy chicken nuggets so as to not kill an actual real life chicken.

And then as the path before him got overcast with shadows and he felt that all the oxygen was depleting from his lungs and the walls closing in around him, this woman had seen him become troubled and dark and had worried about him. Maybe if she hadn't given a damn about him then Rick wouldn't have given a damn about him either and if that was the case then Rick would still be alive.

Kuon wanted to run from her. He didn't know how to apologize to her, he didn't know what to do and he felt as if he was a fifteen-year-old kid again. He had been such a foolish person when he was a child and he hated that the darkness that had manifested inside of him was responsible for the death of his best friend. He moved backwards but as he stepped on a twig, he saw the woman get alerted to him and he shivered, looking terrified at her.

"Hey," the woman looked at him before bowing her head, "You wanted to see him too."

Kuon was usually amazing at detecting the emotions behind something a person may have said but this time his brain was still in a daze. Was she angry with him? Was she about to launch into a speech of why he wasn't a good person and why he had no right to look at Rick's grave? Was she about to storm up to the director and get him fired? Kuon took deep breaths in, not realizing the absolute terror on his face.

"I'm sorry, I have the right person, right?" she asked and Kuon nodded weakly before looking at the ground.

"I am so sorry," he whispered as the pain seemed to be making an attempt to suffocate him. "If I - If I hadn't…I am so sorry for your loss. I can never apologize enough to either you or him, I am responsible for what happened to him."

"And you don't seem to have forgiven yourself for it," the woman said and Kuon uneasily shifted.

"I can't forgive myself for it. Rick had a bright shining life ahead of him, he had Tina, he was going to do great things and I ruined it. I would give anything to bring him back. I can never apologiz-"

"Rick had his own problems, Kuon," the woman said and the actor paused. She looked at him with a heartbroken smile, "You're right. If it wasn't for you, Rick might not have been out there that night but that doesn't mean that you're responsible for his death. Rick had good judgment in people but he had his own emotional baggage." She sighed, "Are you sure that when you think of him you're really thinking of him?"

Kuon took a quick breath as he looked at her and then stared down, "I just know that it's my fault for what happened. Rick taught me everything that I knew I could rely on. He -"

"Kuon, as much as I hate to say it but you might be idealizing Rick when you think of him. Didn't he tell you to kill a chicken and then eat it to avoid being chicken or something…I overheard you two talking about it once," she said and Kuon looked down.

"Yes, but that was just metaphorical, Rick didn't actually want me to -" Kuon tried to argue.

"He and his father used to hunt game animal, it was one of the reasons why we got divorced, I couldn't stand seeing the types of animals they would bring in after a hunt but it was his father's attitude that led to him thinking things like killing chickens was just an everyday occurrence," she said before wiping away a tear. "I love my son, I wish he was here, but he wasn't perfect. When he died, he was trying to make up for getting you into those situations and he felt guilty that he hadn't spoken to your dad about how you were hurting."

Kuon shifted in his posture again, "That wasn't Rick's responsibility," he argued and the woman nodded.

"I agree but I know your father, when he's really caught up in his work, he's blind to everything else. He blames himself for not seeing it and I should have spoken to him too. Maybe if we had been able to guide you in a different direction then maybe things wouldn't turn out like they have." Rick's mother took a shaky breath in and dabbed some tears from her eyes, "Kuon, do you remember when you first came to our house when you were either twelve or thirteen and when we had finished dinner, Rick wanted to just shove everything in the sink but you washed the dishes and said that you felt it was your duty as a guest?"

Kuon nodded and looked at the woman with a sigh, "No matter how many dishes I wash, it won't bring him back."

"That's true but…" Rick's mother turned to look at him, "I know that before you went away to Japan, your parents tried to send you to numerous therapists but have you been back? Your thoughts seem extremely black and white. Trust me, you're not all bad and Rick, though I love him with my entire heart, wasn't all good."

"All I know is that I was responsible for the blood draining from his body," Kuon whispered and Rick's mother shook her head.

"I never did like Tina. She was incredibly spoiled and always put the blame on someone else. She started doing that when she was four and would blame the housekeeper for any slip up she made," she said before Kuon looked away. "Well, I think that's given you something to think about," she said before putting a hand on Kuon's shoulder, "Do you still need some time with him?"

Kuon nodded and was surprised when Rick's mother brought him in for a hug.

"I'm glad that you're still alive," she whispered, "I'm glad that you decided to fight through the sadness to get to the place you are now," she told him and Kuon looked after her. He hadn't expected to get that reaction from a member of Rick's family at all.

…

…

What Kyoko loved the most about watching Kuu work was that she could see how many similarities there were between him and Kuon when he acted. When they had been filming Dark Moon together, Kyoko had watched Ren's acting as if she were attending a college level class. She was able to learn and grow as an actor just by watching him and he had become her motivation, a way of her pushing herself to embrace her dreams and get to be where she wanted to be. Watching Kuu, she could see how Kuon was inspired.

The way his body moved depending on character motivation for instance. Everything from where he placed his hands to how he moved his elbow and the angle at which his arm was bent. Kyoko was sure that Kuu knew about it, but the body language was completely different for when the character was angry rather than the character was upset.

Kyoko made notes as she looked at the way that Kuu held his head when he spoke his lines. If she was an artist then she would most definitely be sketching out what was happening. However, as she continued to look at her father, she started drifting off. Maybe it was because his acting techniques were so close to Ren's acting techniques or maybe it was the knowledge that Kuu and Kuon were related but as she continued to watch him it felt like she was seeing how Kuon would be when he was older and she didn't want to admit it out loud but it was hot.

Was she sexually attracted to Kuu-sama? Of course not. However, she was able to take in all of the ways in which she would want a future with Kuon. She wanted to act across from him again. She wanted to see him raise a family and increase his talents. She wanted Kuon to live and hopefully this trip to America would help him live rather than make him want to hide away in the shadows.

Kyoko wasn't even aware when the scene was ending, she was too swept up in her own imagination but as Kuu approached her, she got to her feet.

"So, do you think you learned from that?" he asked and Kyoko nodded before clapping.

"You're a genius, Kuu-sama," she told him putting the notebook on the table behind her. Kuu picked it up and looked at it before smiling as he saw all the notes about how Kuon must have learned from Kuu because certain things were the same in how they acted. That was something nice to see about him and his son.

"I'm not sure if genius is the word I used, but I'm glad that you were enjoying it," he said as he looked around the set. "I'm going to go use the dressing room, there's a café in the building if you'd like to go there or -"

"Why don't we go there together," Kyoko smiled happily as Kuu handed her back the notebook. "It'll be fun and I don't mind waiting here. You were amazing, Kuu-sama," she said as she acted like a very excited fangirl of his. To some actors this kind of praise was annoying but Kuu already viewed Kyoko as his daughter and hopefully one day that would be legal as well. That way he could see that his sons were making each other very happy.

"Okay, I'll be right back," he said and smiled to her, "You're such a good girl, Kyoko" he said as Kyoko looked down. Hopefully being a good girl didn't mean that she was boring, she really didn't want for Kuon to think that she wasn't exciting enough for him.

…

…

As Rick's mother left, Kuon approached the tombstone and looked at it. He thought about his best friend standing there beside him with his hand on his shoulder as he had done numerous times when giving Kuon advice as a teenager. Kuon knelt down on the ground not giving a damn about his clothes and he reached out to touch the stone, making sure not to kneel on top of Rick.

"I'm sorry," he whispered as he bowed his head, "I'm so sorry that I was a bad friend to you in the end," he said as he put a hand on his chest. "I love you. Not in that way so you don't need to make one of your jokes, but Rick, as a friend you…I love you. Thank you so much for all of the kindness that you showed me. I think it's only because of you that I've done so well. I became an actor, Rick. I wish I could show you some of my acting, I've been told it's good."

Kuon took a deep breath in, "I hope that it doesn't sound too selfish for me to say this but you helped me change, Rick, you helped me grow up into somebody else and change myself. It is because of you that I was able to do that and I doubt I will ever be able to truly thank you enough. I've met somebody. I told you about her in the past, that girl in Japan. We met again and she's my girlfriend. I think that you led me to her so thank you."

He sighed, "I'll always love you, bro," he said as his voice shook. "I'll try to bring Kyoko here before we leave. She deserves to know how I wouldn't be here today without you. You will always be my big brother," he said before closing his eyes and taking some deep breaths to steady himself.

 **End of Chapter Twenty Four**

 **Thank you for reading**

 **Thank you for reviewing Chapter Twenty Three**

Brennakai, EmmaLasagna, Guest, Kris XD, MWEH, Paulagato, RichkeyZero, Undertheskys,


	25. Chapter 25 -A Million Corn Blue Promises

**AN:** Thank you so much for your patience in my updates, I am very thankful for them. I hope to update in the future on Sundays but I'm having kind of a down day so thought I'd update the new chapters I do have tonight. Hope you enjoy. Also, is it wrong of me that I'm happy people cried of the interaction with Kuon and Rick

 **Chapter Twenty Five – A million corn blue promises**

It was a strange relief to be forgiven by Rick's family. It felt to Kuon as if Rick himself would have forgiven him or maybe that was too much to ask for, too much to expect once you stole the life of a man who had a great future before him. Kuon felt as if he could move as long as he reminded himself with every step that he had to live a good life now, a life full of splendor, a life where Rick would be proud to have a friend like him.

The rest of the filming for that day had gone well and Kuon could already feel his presence in America getting stronger. He could look around and realize where he was and also realize that he wasn't going to be punished for being here. He smiled as he walked down the streets by the shops. He wanted to make everyone proud of him but, aside from Kyoko's pride, he wanted most to be proud of himself.

As he was thinking about Kyoko, he paused and looked at a jewelry store where there was a beautiful and yet subtle bracelet. He put a hand to his own wrist as he thought about how important Rick's watch was to him. On the bracelet there was a charm in the shape of a heart which had purplish blue gems on it.

As the sun started to go down, Kuon noticed the flash of color that the charm gave and realized his luck. This was the same stone that Corn was, the stone that was most important to the woman who was most important to him. He smiled as he thought about how Kyoko had been treated by Sho who took far more than he gave. Kuon wanted to do the opposite. He wanted to provide her with so much love and so much more than she was to give him, he wanted her to feel the best she could especially since he felt joy from being forgiven by Rick's family.

He had seen it on a lot of sitcoms that were aimed at a teenage audience and maybe the idea was a little young for him, a little immature but he could imagine her loving it. For someone who lived in lala land with a permanent secondary residence there, she might really enjoy this idea.

He walked into the store and to the register before asking, "May I get that bracelet in the window?" he asked and the shop girl looked at him with a smile.

"Certainly," she said, "Are you giving it to your girlfriend? Would you like me to wrap it as a gift?"

"If you wouldn't mind," Kuon smiled, "I think that she would love it. Thank you," he said. Hopefully Kyoko would love this idea as much as Kuon thought that she would.

…..

…..

Kyoko was excited to be able to talk to Kuon all about what she had learned from observing Kuu whilst he acted. She could only imagine the joy that a young Kuon would have at watching this. Maybe it was childish but she felt as if she could match the young boys excitement. However, she had to admit that because of her own bias, she did enjoy watching Kuon perform more than his father. Maybe it was that you wanted to see the person who you loved the most succeed in doing what he loves.

Kyoko saw Kuon sitting at the dining table and rushed over to him with her notebook in her arms as well as the pile of papers. "Hi," she said and Kuon looked at her, his grin growing as he noticed the excitement that _she_ held.

"Hi," he told her again, his hand moving to cover the box that the girl had wrapped for him so carefully. "It looks like you had a good day. I'm really glad," he smiled and Kyoko's heart melted at how happy _he_ looked. It was as if his troubles had suddenly disappeared and he looked like that ten-year-old boy again, the fairy prince. She was so incredibly lucky to have him.

"I did, I really did," Kyoko nodded, "I know why you were so inspired to get into acting. Kuu-sama is incredible," she said and Kuon laughed, pulling her into his lap and positioning her so that he could hold her whilst sitting down. He kissed her affectionately as she wrapped her arms around him in a loving embrace.

"That's great," he told her, "My dad does get that kind of reaction but I thought that you would have become used to it. You spent so much time with him in Japan and this isn't the first time that you witnessed him acting over here."

"Okay." Kyoko said as she kissed Kuon's cheek and started to nuzzle his neck, "So maybe it wasn't as good as watching you or Ren work," she noticed that Kuon opened his mouth to argue with her and so she kissed him again, "Don't argue with me about that," she told him, "but I really want to be an actor that matches up to the two of you one day maybe one day far away."

"Not that far away," Kuon commented, "I think you already are at my level," he told her and Kyoko rolled her eyes.

"I'm not as amazing as _you_ are," she said, "but I know that one day I'll be able to be at your level. I might even have more fans than you one day," she said before bowing her head with her cheeks turning red. "I'm sorry, that was really rude and uncalled for. I didn't mean to be so boastful like that. I didn't mean to step abo-"

This time it was Kuon who silenced _her_ with a kiss, "I think maybe one day you will," he told her as he hugged her again. "Maybe one day we'll compete on that and I think I'd really love it. If you became a star that outranked me then that would make me incredibly proud and very happy for you. Maybe at that time we'll be Kuon and Kyoko Hizuri," he said as Kyoko blushed again.

Kyoko felt tears in her eyes. She was so happy that it was Kuon that she was dating. If it had been Sho then he would probably have never told her that, he would have laughed at her and told her that it was only a fantasy that she would ever be able to match him in the amount of fans that he had. He would tell her that she was plain and ordinary and that she should never think of herself as special. Unlike Kuon, he would never have been so humble as to say that he would support her if she was more popular or regarded more highly than him.

With her attention pulled, Kuon brought forth the box with the bracelet in it.

"I got something for you when I was out today," he smiled as she took hold of the box. "I hope you like it, I was hoping that it had a special meaning for you as silly as that is."

Kyoko smiled warmly, "You've given me so many things, some with well-crafted stories and then some without. I've always loved all of them. Kuon, you could give me anything and I'd love it because it came from you so thank you. It really is a beautiful box," she said as her thumb went over the ribbon on top that was done up like a bow.

"I'm hoping that you find what is _inside_ the box even more beautiful," he said teasingly as Kyoko opened it and tears came to her eyes. She picked it up, instantly recognizing what kind of stone formed the heart. As many pieces of this same rock that she would get, she would love it. She wanted a collection of this rock because this stone represented Corn. It was what had taken away her sadness. It was what reminded her of how loved she was and of how lucky she was to have that love.

"It's gorgeous," she said as she held it in her hand and then put it on her wrist, turning it in the light to watch as the color changed. She felt her heart skip a beat as she admired it and then felt Kuon take her hand and bring it up to his lips before kissing her. She hoped one day that she would get a stone of this color.

"It's a promise that I'm all yours and that nothing is going to prevent me from loving you," he told her and Kyoko grinned. "I know I've made such promises to you in the past but this bracelet was bought on a day that was really very special to me," he said and Kyoko felt the honesty in his expression. Something good _had_ happened to him that day and that meant a lot to her. With all of the pain that Kuon had had to endure in his life, she wanted every day to be as happy as possible for him.

"What happened?" she asked as she put her hand to his cheek, caressing his skin.

"I went to Rick's grave," Kuon said and Kyoko looked down before gazing into Kuon's eyes, she held her breath, feeling a little afraid to hear what had happened. The last thing that she wanted was for Kuon to get hurt. Such an emotional thing as visiting the grave of someone who felt like family to you was heartbreaking. As much as she disliked Sho, if she were to ever go to his grave she would fall apart. However, she kept her mouth shut, she was nervous to find out what had happened to him.

"While I was there, I saw his mother," he said, "I was worried about her hating me. After all, you would hate the person who was responsible for your child's death. I know that if someone murdered me or whacked me in the back of the head with a lead pipe that my parents would never be able to forgive them. She _did_ forgive me," he said as Kyoko gave a sob of relief. "She made sure I was aware that she didn't consider me responsible for what happened and she even told me she was worried about me. It felt nice to be forgiven by his family."

Kyoko cuddled closer to him. "Then it really is a special day for you," she told him. Hopefully this would be a huge step in helping her love recover from what had occurred all of those years ago.

…..

…

Kuon had an evening shoot and so was spending some more time at home which had actually given him time to talk to his mother about how her modelling was going. Since Julie had always preferred modelling over acting, she was trying to squeeze a few more years out of it before retiring and becoming an actress full time. Despite both her son's and her husband's protests over her getting old, Julie could feel it being true. Men wanted to look at young and beautiful women and women wanted to be young a beautiful.

Kuon had learned this about his mother even more as he had spent time with her that day. He looked over at Julie as she brought in the mail. She looked through it, sorting out the bills from the other letters and then her face paled as she looked at a letter that didn't have an address on it.

All it had were the words 'Kuon Hizuri' written in blood.

 **End of Chapter Twenty Five**

 **Thank you for reading**

 **Thank you to the reviewers of Chapter Twenty Four**

EmmaLasagna, KrisXD, RichkeyZero, Undertheskys


	26. Chapter 26 - Betrayal

**AN:** I really hope that you enjoy the twist and you're not angry about it. It definitely changes some canon but I hope it's not too frustrating. Thank you so much for all of your support, it means a lot to me

 **Chapter Twenty Six - Betrayal**

Kuon looked at the envelope in his hand as he turned it a little. Julie stared at him nervously, no mother would like it if there son was to receive a message like that but least of all a mother whose son had had a violent past that he wanted to escape. Hopefully this wouldn't hurt his acting work.

Finally the silence had been enough and Julie stepped forwards to approach her son. "Kuon, are you…"

"I'm not sure what's in it," Kuon told her as he felt the weight of the envelope. He held it in the air, trying to see if any light could help him see what was in it. All he could see was a piece of paper. That probably meant that it wasn't a bomb but there might be some kind of germ in it. Didn't people say that anthrax had spread through the mail, he didn't want to do anything that would hurt his loved ones.

"I'm going to take it outside…" he said and Julie looked at him concerned.

"Are you sure that you should even be opening it?" she asked before pointing to the letter, "they could be here, Kuon, an envelope that doesn't have an address means that they know where you live. Are you wanted by the mafia?"

Kuon looked at her and blinked, he didn't know how to answer that because, although he was ninety percent positive that his past actions hadn't led to him angering the mafia, he wasn't sure. He looked at Julie as she studied his face.

"Kuon, that shouldn't have to be something that you have to think about," Julie scolded him before hearing Kuu's car pull up in the driveway. "Listen, at least hand this to the police they can -"

"I think that I have to get going for the shoot, I don't want to bring shame to the Hizuri name," he said as he left with the envelope. Julie closed her eyes before thinking about all the different scenes she had seen in movies and tv shows about someone going to their car and it blowing up because the car's exhaust system had been messed with.

"Kuu," she called out as she tried to grab Kuon's arm, "Has anyone been near your car today?" she asked and Kuu and Kyoko looked at one another. They had parked in the studio lot but there was no telling about who would be there. They had safely driven home together but that had no indication on any shady dealings.

"Not that I'm aware of but probably some people have been near it," he said slowly before looking at Kuon trying to find the answers behind this. What was going on? How were his wife and son involved in whatever it was that _was_ going on?

"Kuon received a letter," Julie said and Kuon looked at her quickly not expecting such a direct approach to the problem.

"He received a letter from…." Kuu approached his son before looking down at the envelope that he was holding. He saw the way the name had been written in blood and he had just the same look that Julie had. He did not want Kuon to open that envelope and he was scared to leave his son alone. Kuu looked into Kuon's eyes feeling that he had no right to just jump in and try to be a parent again. Kuon had spent so long living away from them, so long making his own decisions. He couldn't do anything else but ask.

"Please, promise me that you'll be safe," he said and Kuon opened his mouth but Kuu cut him off, "Okay, maybe you can't promise me that but promise me that you'll do your best to come back alive," he told him as Julie's jaw dropped.

What was her husband doing? This looked like a scene out of a horror movie and he was just alright with this. She bowed her head and nodded.

"Kuon, don't forget about the shoot. Kuu, I'm not talking to you for the rest of the day," she said before storming back into the house with Kyoko looking after where Kuon had gone wanting to help but not knowing how.

…

…

Kuon sighed as he finished his photo shoot that night. He knew that the photo shoot had to come first but he was nervous about what had been in the envelope. He had decided that he wouldn't let it throw him off his game so made the choice to open it after he had finished his work. He walked off to the side and opened it to see that all that was on it was a telephone number.

Was he being tracked?

Kuon looked over the note and then turned on his phone. Maybe this was stupid, maybe phoning this person would cause for them to send a gang to him to beat him up or kill him. Still, his pride was showing through in his athletic and fighting abilities. After he had left America he had grown smarter and stronger.

He wanted to find out what this was all about.

How was there no such thing as a public toll phone again? That might be what he needed so that they didn't track him down. With one of those he could always choose to leave but it was a lot harder to throw one's cell phone away. With another breath in, Kuon choose to withhold his number and then typed in the number. Hopefully this wasn't his biggest mistake of his life.

He waited for the person to pick up and then heard something eerily familiar, "Kuon, was wondering how long it would take. You know, writing in blood was never really my specialty," he laughed and Kuon looked at the ground. How could this man sound just like him? Was this an imitation of him from one of their old enemies? "So, are you going to come and see me?"

"Why would I do that?" Kuon asked as he tried to control his breaths. He didn't know who was on the other end of the line but hearing such a familiar voice from a dead guy was giving him the chills. Maybe it would be better to see who it was. "I'm warning you, stop using that voice. Rick doesn't deserve this."

"I think I'm entitled to choose what Rick deserves," the man said and Kuon felt himself tense up. "Do you want to see me? We could meet in the park."

"You and how many other men?" Kuon asked starting to feel even more afraid by all this.

"Just you, me, and my doctor," the man said, "but she's not really fond of being called a man," he replied and Kuon looked down. He just wanted to get to the bottom of this and tell whoever had tried to get his attention to back off and that he wasn't interested in being toyed around with. He was just starting to forgive himself for Rick, he had been forgiven by Rick's family, he still owed Rick for what had happened. He at least had to catch the guy imitating him.

"Sure," Kuon sighed, "I can be there in about….an hour?" he asked, "you mean West Hollywood, right?"

"If that's what suits you best," the man said and Kuon nodded despite knowing the other guy couldn't see him.

"Sure, let's…let's go there," he said though he had to admit that he was afraid. Someone pretending to be Rick whilst delivering a message in blood. This was only to remind him that he was and always would be a murderer no matter how many people tried to convince him otherwise. He was scared that after tonight he would be ashamed to go home to his family, ashamed to go back to _her_.

…

…

Kuon was sitting down on a bench watching some birds whilst also being very alert of his surroundings. He didn't know what to expect but he wanted to think of the best. The man had said he would have a doctor with him so that meant that he was sick in some way. Whether that be mentally, psychologically, or physically, if Kuon could find that sickness then he could get the upper hand in a brawl.

He didn't like the idea of fighting somebody who had to have medical help but he knew that this town would eat him alive if he wasn't able to sink his teeth into any fight that came his way. Kuon looked up as a woman approached him. She was in her mid-thirties and looked absolutely beautiful. If Kuon had to guess he would say that she was Korean-American with more American in her than anything else. She had slightly red hair that was wavy and rested on her shoulders. She was wearing a white blouse with a black designer coat and she had a non-aggressive look on her face.

"Are you Mr. Kuon?" she asked him and Kuon smiled to her before nodding, his hand reaching down into his pocket. "My husband would like to talk with you."

"Your husband?" Kuon asked as he looked around, didn't this guy say his doctor? He looked at her, "I thought that he was your pa-"

"My husband has had to go through more than you would think. He's not been allowed to see his family and has been forced to recover in isolation but I know that he'd like to see you," she said and Kuon looked at her confused. He stood up and made sure his bag was close to his body. This was strange but he was curious, he followed the woman to a wooded area. This wasn't an ambush right? He wasn't being led into some planned ambush where they would kill him for fun, right?

As Kuon approached the area he saw a man who looked scarily real. He would know that face anywhere. "I…" he said before looking at the man. He was sitting in a wheelchair with some stitches on his head and he looked as if he was more exhausted than a regular person but he was here, he was alive. "Ri-Rick?" he asked in shock as he stared ahead at the other man. "What…."

"I thought the blood would get your attention," Rick said, his voice a little different than before. What was this? He had seen Rick's blood all spill out. He had heard Tina call him a murderer. He had seen Rick's mother at his grave. What was going on?

"Are you….a zombie?" he asked and Rick raised an eyebrow as he looked at him.

"No…not a zombie but I understand why you would think that. I'm….you weren't the only person who was a tar-" he saw Kuon turn around before watching the blond go and punch a tree, splitting it and sending a crack up the trunk of it. He saw Kuon start taking slow breaths as he attempted to deal with his anger.

"I thought that I killed you" he said with tears in his eyes. He had been punishing himself for years and Rick wasn't actually dead. What was going on here. He had been telling himself for years that he was a murderer but Rick wasn't dead. He wasn't sure what to do with that new information.

"Kuon…could you listen to me? I've been waiting for you to come back here, we were best friends at one point," Rick struggled and Kuon looked at him.

"I saw you die" he said and Rick looked up.

"You never saw the body, Tina overreacted, but I did get very badly hurt and…" Kuon looked at him conflicted in his emotions. What the hell kind of horror show was this?

 **End of Chapter Twenty Six**

 **Thank you for reading**

 **Thank you for reviewing chapter twenty five:**

Brennakai, Kris XD, EmmaLasagna, MWEH, Paulagato, Underthesky


	27. Chapter 27 - Rick

**AN:** Sorry for the slowness in the update and thank you for your patience. I just finished a fic that I was updating daily and I loved concentrating on that. In case you're interested, I have a poll on my profile to see what fics you'd like more updates of and then I'll check from the top three. Anyway, really hope you enjoy this chapter 😊

 **Chapter Twenty Seven - Rick**

This was too much for him to handle, way too much and it felt as if he were being drugged. Kuon felt dizzy and he hadn't ever experienced anything like this without the effect of alcohol through his system. Too many questions were in his mind and he didn't know how to feel. Should he feel relief that his friend was here and that he was alive and apparently with some woman who cared about him? Should he feel nervous that there was a possibility that Rick was breaking the law by coming out of hiding? Was it okay to be angry over the deception?

Kuon stared at his old friend, "So, if you were under victim protection?" he asked, his voice shaking a little as he tried to come to terms with what was going on. He was always told that he was a smart man but this, he couldn't make any sense of this situation. "Why are you here?"

"The threats were dealt with," the woman said in a straight forward, factually-driven voice, her eyes showing her honesty. "The case has ended."

"The case never ends, not around these parts," Kuon said as he looked around nervously. Seriously!? Was it okay for Rick to be out in the open like this. Sure, Kuon had been walking around for days and filming here but he didn't know what went on and he didn't trust this.

Right now, this part of America definitely didn't feel like home and he just wanted to hold Kyoko in his arms whilst she tried to help him make sense of this.

Kuon was starting to learn more and more why people said that home was never a physical location because even with the passing of seasons, the physical location changed. Home was being with loved ones, being with her was somewhere he regarded as feeling at home and at peace but Rick…knowing that Rick was alive was too much for him to give up.

Rick opened his mouth about to explain more of the situation but Kuon cut him off, his emerald eyes reflecting the fear that he had inside.

"Can I invite someone to meet you?" he asked and Rick paused before looking down.

"This person…are they able to keep a secret?" he asked and Kuon frowned. He wanted to argue about how much it mattered if they could keep a secret or not, this whole thing was messed up and if he was going to stay here and wait around for further explanation, he wanted to at least have someone on his side. A pillar of strength.

"My girlfriend," Kuon said as he put an arm around his chest, struggling with the pain. "She _can_ keep a secr-"

"Another one of your flings?" Rick asked with a joking expression and Kuon felt as if he was having air punctured out of his lungs with a sharp stick.

"No. This is…she's my very precious girlfriend, someone who matters to me as much as you di-do, hopefully do," Kuon said and Rick saw the unmistakable pain that was tearing through Kuon's defenses. He nodded and Kuon took out his cellphone. He knew that Kyoko was probably worried about what was going on and he knew that she wouldn't spread this news about Rick around. He needed her support.

…..

…..

Kyoko was sitting on the edge of the bed in the guestroom, facing the window and cupping her hands tightly as she looked down at Corn who she was holding to her. She ran her finger over the stone and closed her eyes, she couldn't stop the panic or concern in her own heart. _He_ was out there and she didn't know what was happening. He was always good at hiding, dealing with problems on his own but she wanted to help him and it wouldn't be fair on her that every time that she did want to help him, she had to dress up as Bo.

Kyoko felt the tears run down her cheeks and she shook her head. This wasn't like when Sho wouldn't tell her a problem because he didn't value her opinion. He was trying to keep her safe, he was trying to protect her but she just wanted him to think of her as a valuable part of his world.

When she heard the phone ring, she grabbed it and grinned in relief, a few tears mixed in with her laugh as she tried to steady her voice and answer it, "Kuon?" she said as she placed Corn on her lap so she could hold the phone with both of her hands.

"Kyoko, I need you to keep this upmost secret, do you understand that princess?" Kuon asked, his voice sounding panicked and that made Kyoko's stomach drop. Was what he was going through so strange? She nodded.

"I promise," she said gently and Kuon took a half breath.

"Rick's alive," he told her and Kyoko blinked. It took her mind a moment to register what he had just said and she wanted it in her heart to be true. Helping Kuon realize that his friend was back from the dead was going to be easier to deal with than if Kuon had lost her mind. Kyoko paused. There was a chance that Kuon had broken down psychologically and had gained schizophrenia. If that was the case, did she care? Honestly, she didn't. Now she was understanding even more in what President Takarada called the power of love.

"Where are you, sweetheart?" Kyoko asked, just wanting to be beside him.

Whatever was going on they could deal with it as a couple? Even if her boyfriend had lost his mind and would lead to the media analyzing whether or not he should be wearing a straight jacket, the things that Kuon was going through right now were real to him and she needed to hold him. She wanted to make sure he was okay and that he knew she loved him. He was her Corn, she was always going to love him. Even if he broke her heart, she would sadly still love him.

As he told her the address, Kyoko wrote it down and pressed the phone against her even more, "I'll be right there. I love you so much, my prince Corn."

"I love you too, princess Kyoko," Kuon said and Kyoko knew that she wanted to be with him as soon as she could. He needed her and she was not going to let him down, she would always do her best and use all her guts to show him how much she loved him, a love that she couldn't imagine sharing with anyone but him.

…..

…

As Kyoko got to the park, she saw Kuon standing by the outside of it and she ran up to him, throwing her arms around him and letting him pull her into his chest. At least if she found out that he was losing his mind, she had hugged him first. She wasn't sure how to prove her love for him so hopefully she could do enough. She looked from side to side to see that he was alone and she then turned her inquisitive up to his.

"Kuon," she asked softly and Kuon held her hand.

"Come, I'd like to introduce you two," he said but even his acting skills weren't disguising how shaken up _he_ was. His deceased friend had come back and barring the idea of a zombie apocalypse, there usually wasn't any explanation for such a thing. Kyoko didn't know whether that was the case here or not.

She smiled softly as she saw a woman and looked down. So it wasn't Rick but it was a living, breathing human and then she saw the man in the wheelchair and her eyes lit up in recognition. She didn't understand how this was possible but he was a match for the teenager she had seen in those photographs. She looked up at Kuon and then back at Rick before bowing deeply.

"Hi, I'm Mogami Kyoko, it's really nice to meet you," she said before lifting herself up. Was that still weird to do to Americans? He could tell that she was Japanese, right? Didn't that make it slightly less weird that she had bowed to him formally.

He extended his hand, "I'm Rick," he said, "Pleasure to meet yo-" Rick looked up at Kuon, "Didn't you say that there was a six year old named Kyoko that you held in your heart?" he asked and Kyoko blushed turning a deep red.

It wasn't as if she hadn't carried Corn around in her heart for so many years and invested so much trust in his magic stone. She smiled as she grabbed hold of Kuon's hand and looked at him. As thrilled for him as she was to see this man in front of them, she couldn't imagine it being easy for her boyfriend to see him.

"I've just come off of victim protection," Rick explained to her and then gestured to Kuon, "but it seems as if he's been on his own victim protection. New life, money, new background story that you need to memorize. Interesting," Rick commented and Kuon bowed his head.

"Ren Tsuruga was someone who I had to create in order to have an existence," he said nervously before watching Kyoko who was unsure about the whole situation. "Did you want to grab some coffee or is this -"

"I have to go," Rick told him and Kuon felt his body tense as his spine straightened. He didn't know what to say in response to that and Kyoko could notice that in his eyes. He was wondering whether this was just a one night occurrence, whether he had just imagined it, or whether he should try and plead and beg for there to be more time together.

"Will I –" Kuon began but Rick cut him off.

"I do want to see you, I'll contact you when we can next meet," he said and Kuon nodded. He was about to say his goodbyes but Rick took off before giving him a chance to and he looked at the ground as if he was a small boy who was scared of being scolded. Kyoko squeezed his hand again. What kind of advice could she even try and give him? His friend coming back from the afterlife wasn't something she could have learned in Girlfriends 101.

"Do you want to go back now?" Kyoko asked and Kuon nodded, going towards the car.

The silence still scared her but she was so relieved that it hadn't been something worse. She was glad that her boyfriend was here and he was alive and they could spend some more time together.

"Kuon," Kyoko asked softly as she continued to hold onto his hand, "Can you tell me how you're feeling?" she asked and Kuon looked down, closing his eyes and not saying anything. It hurt a little that he was closing himself off to her, she wanted to help and she thought she had gotten through to him that she could handle his feelings, his anger, his pain, his little habits that people might not understand.

"I'm angry," he finally said and Kyoko looked at him with a supportive smile though the concern was in her eyes. "I'm so angry at him but I…I don't want to be. I want to be happy that he's alive, that I haven't actually been responsible for his death but I'm so angry at him, at what happened, at myself."

Kyoko looked at him and pressed a kiss to the side of his arm, "I can understand that. Be angry right now but when you've let that anger out, you might want to talk things through and I'll be there when you're ready," she said and Kuon sighed before nodding.

Kyoko was really relieved that he was okay.

 **End of Chapter Twenty Seven**

 **Thank you for reading**

 **Thank you for the Chapter Twenty Six Reviews**

Brennakai, kotoko-98, KrisXD, Moon-lit-Shadows12, MWEH, SpiritedRanger


	28. Chapter 28 - If I Was Dead

**AN:** Oh my god. I had so much fun writing this chapter so I really hope that you enjoy it 😊

 **Chapter Twenty Eight – If I Was Dead**

Kuon couldn't sleep and there was a very good reason that he couldn't sleep. How could people who you believed for such a long time to be dead, that you thought that you were responsible for their death, how could they come back to life and think you'd be fine? He felt exhausted and not from lack of sleep? Boss and his father should be appalled by his inability to not get a good night rest before a day of filming. It wasn't very professional.

Kuon shifted as he heard a sound in the house. He had hoped that Kyoko would have just stayed in bed as he had asked her to do. She had wanted to stay up with him but then she had started to drift off gradually and she deserved to be able to get some rest. He could deal with things himself.

He looked over to where the noise was coming from and saw his father there. "Hey, did I wake you up?" he asked and Kuu stared at him.

"You look like crap," he said before yawning, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be blunt," he told Kuon as he came to stand next to him. "Are you okay? I mean, a lot of strange things have been happening to you recently. Are you okay?"

"I don't mind you saying that, I'm just glad that I have the experience that comes with modeling to hide the fact that I look so bad," Kuon chuckled but he sighed. "Dad, I…" he looked down not knowing what to do. He was so angry and he knew that if the anger boiled over it might come out as anger towards the wrong person. He was so happy that his parents had welcomed him back with open arms. He didn't want to ruin it and put up that wall again. "You answer my question first."

"No. You didn't wake me," Kuu shook his head, "I find myself wandering around the house at this time of the morning," he said as he checked at the clock which showed it was three. "Because I look for something to eat. It's weird that my son would have the exact opposite metabolism as me."

"I think I share your metabolism," Kuon laughed, "What I don't share is your appetite and love for food. To answer your question, I don't think I'm okay," he said as he looked forward. "I don't know if I can ever be okay. There's just….too many questions in my mind."

"Like what?" Kuu asked and Kuon turned to him.

"If something had happened when I was still Ren Tsuruga. If I had gotten into an accident and died, would you have…cared?" he asked before seeing the look of shock and pain on his father's face, "I mean I know you would have been sad but would you have planned a funeral?"

"Kuon," Kuu looked down and closed his eyes to steady himself, "You being injured had always been something that Boss and I had discussed and if you were so injured that it would take a miracle for you to act on the level that you were, then your mother and I were allowed to break the pact. We would have come seen you had you been disfigured in a car crash or suffered traumatic brain injury. As for if you died, there would be no earthly or godly power that could stop us from coming to Japan as soon as possible and arranging your funeral. Even when you weren't present in our lives, you were still highly prioritized. You do know we love you, right?" Kuu asked with uncertainty.

"I'm sorry," Kuon said quickly, "I know. I know what sacrifices you and Mom made. I love you so much dad, you've always been my hero and I've come to terms with how stupid I was. I know you love me," he said before looking down. "I just…Dad," he said looking at him painfully. "If I were to share with you a secret could you just keep it between the two of us, I mean, Kyoko already knows but could we leave Mom out of it. I just need someone to vent to, if that's okay."

"Okay," Kuu said very slowly as he studied his son, "but Kuon, god if you have a terminal illness then I want your mother to know as soon as you're ready to tell her and then we can get tests and I could finish my current jobs, move back to Japan if you need someone more than Kyoko to take care of you," Kuu said trying to keep his panicking to a minimum.

"Dad," Kuon said slowly, "It's not that at all. I just…Rick's alive."

Kuu paused. He stared at his son unsure of what to say to that. For so many years they had thought that Rick had been hit by a car and died. He had even had a funeral. For months Kuu and Julie had tried to go through all of their options to help Kuon cope and they had gone for the last resort in which Kuon had been separated for them and had found a new life where they weren't involved.

Rick's death was the catalyst event for him not being able to hold his son in his arms for such a long time.

He felt anger at that but he tried to keep his temper. He fingers tapped on the table as he looked at Kuon, "Are you certain?" he asked. His son cared about Rick and that friendship meant a lot. However, in Kuu's mind, he just wanted to flip the table over and say some very rude words about how he felt and how life had screwed over the Hizuri family.

"Dad, I saw him, I talked to him," Kuon said and then stared at the table, "I don't think his parents even knew or they are as good at acting as you are. I just…Dad, I can't process these emotions and I feel so…I can't make sense of it. I'm so angry at him but I'm so happy and in disbelief that he's not dead. I…I can't figure out what to do or how to feel and it's…"

"Kuon," Kuu said as he reached out to hold his son's hand. "It's okay for you to feel whatever it is you feel. You were depressed for a really long time. I mean, you were depressed when you were fifteen, sixteen."

"Twenty-one, that's when I started feeling better," Kuon told him and Kuu blinked back in shock. "It wasn't until I met Kyoko and fell in love with her and told myself that maybe I deserved love that I could start figuring out what happened with Rick. Six years of depressed feelings that are completely wasted."

Kuu paused, watching his kid. He felt even angrier at this situation than before. He hadn't known it had been going on for so long and Kuon had had to suffer in silence. "Kuon, you have every right in the world to be pissed about this. You have changed in so many ways. I'm almost thankful that this happened because you have a beautiful girlfriend, a thriving acting career, and you've matured into the person that you were supposed to become."

"Dad, if I were in Rick's position then…what would you have done had I just left and pretended to be dead?" he asked and Kuu looked at him, the pain showing on his face.

"I would have never forgiven myself for you getting hurt," he admitted honestly. "I probably wouldn't be able to stop myself from feeling that pain. Every time I would have gone to an acting stage, I would have seen your smiling face when you were a little boy telling me that you wanted to be an actor. I would have most likely quit the profession because you weren't even given an opportunity to act. I don't know what I would have done but I would have felt completely lost. Your mother though, I don't think that anything would have been able to comfort her."

"And that's why you wanted Boss to take me to Japan," Kuon said and Kuu nodded.

"As long as we knew that you were alive then that's what mattered. We were afraid that if you stayed here too long you would have been swallowed up by your sadness," Kuu sighed as he showed the same emotions as he had when talking about Kuon's sadness to Kyoko over cake. He had often doubted his abilities as a father and he had wanted every day to hold his son in his arms and make sure he was okay. It was only the information that Boss allowed him to have that made it so he could pull through each month.

"Dad," Kuon said weakly as he hated seeing this much anguish on the man's face. "It's okay. I'm here now."

"And you have absolutely no idea how grateful I am that that is the case," Kuu told him. "But Kuon, even if you had had your death faked and you came back, I would be disappointed that you wouldn't tell us but I would have let you in the door, taken care of you. I think that even if you were a homicidal maniac, I would still want to visit you in jail. Those years that I was a father to you are some of the best years of my life."

"What do you mean the years that you were a father to me?" Kuon asked as he chuckled and raised an eyebrow, "I don't remember firing you as my dad. Are you voluntarily resigning from that role or something?" he asked a he chuckled seeing the shocked expression on his father's face once again.

Kuu put a hand on his heart and looked up, "I would never do that. I want the honor of being your dad, I would never turn down such an important role. I will carry it with me proudly and now I get to brag to all of my friends about your amazing work and how my son is a top model and all of Japan adores him."

"And I get to brag about my father," Kuon laughed, "So, thank you," he said and Kuu nodded. "Thanks, I really needed to talk to someone about that." Kuon paused before looking down, "I have another favor to ask you?" he asked and Kuu tilted his head to the side.

"Okay," he said before looking at him, "What is it that you need? Listen, if there's any way that I can…"

"Nature hike," he said and Kuu blinked. "You know when I was young and whenever I needed to clear my head and you had a day off, you would take me out to look at different parts of nature. You would talk to me about the different birds and trees and the fresh air would clear my head."

"I remember," Kuu smiled as he bathed in the nostalgia.

"You want to do that again the next day that we both had a free day?" he said and Kuu grinned.

"Definitely," he said before standing up and declaring proudly, "I am so happy that my darling son. My intelligent, talented, amazing, superstar of a son would agree to spend time with me. I will have to document this down as a moment to always be proud of," he said as Kuon laughed. He really did adore his father even if that made him a daddy's boy.

 **End of Chapter Twenty Eight**

 **Thank you for reading**

 **Thank you, reviewers of Chapter Twenty Seven**

Brennakai, KrisXD, PaulaGaTo, RichkeyZero

 **Response to Reviews**

More Rick explanation will be next chapter but this one I really wanted to show the father-son bond. I really wanted to explore the anger that was happening within Kuon so that he can really face Rick knowing how he feels. Also, he does have Kyoko to support him but I think he needed to know how Kuu felt.


	29. Chapter 29 - Nothing Makes Sense

**AN:** I might truly destroy Rick's character in this, hope I don't offend you and please enjoy.

 **Chapter Twenty Nine – Nothing Makes Sense**

Nervous wasn't even the best word to describe how Kuon was feeling as he sat in the small café in the seat at the far corner. He didn't want to be here but he knew that he would regret it if he didn't. At least he was able to pick the time for the meeting this time and he had decided to go to work first. He knew that he had questions on his mind and that had removed him a few times from the scene but he would have been worse if he was dwelling on his anger.

He had thought about not going at all and just trying to pretend that Rick was still dead and try to live the life he had managed to keep stable for him and Kyoko but that wouldn't have worked out very well. Rick was alive and he was also a huge liar and Kuon had to keep calm. He could never have done that.

As he saw him enter the café with his partner, Kuon made a fist and tried to tap it on the table. He had to release it, he had to make sure that his anger didn't get the better of him. It was something that was hard to do, hard to not face the anger and disgust but he would do it. He would need to do it.

"Hey, have you been waiting long?" Rick asked and Kuon shook his head. He didn't know what to say so he just watched Rick's wife move the chairs from the table to give the wheelchair some room to push in. "Are you going to speak to me?" he asked, "I mean, this _is_ all your fault."

"Thank you," Kuon nodded, "I was _really_ starting to doubt my involvement after blaming myself for your death for all of these years," he said and Rick put his hands up in defense.

"There's really no need for you to get angry. I mean, maybe I coaxed the gangs on you a little and I tried to train you for that, I tried to warn you at least but after time you lost it and you lost your mind and the only reason you're still alive is that your dad wanted you to be safe. So it's really your fault that all of this happened," he said and Kuon felt the anger fill him but he told himself that he had to remain calm, this was a very strange situation and him getting frustrated by it wasn't in anyone's best interest.

"I didn't realize that it was my fault," Kuon said awkwardly, "I promise that next time I'll try to think clearly before you get hit by a car in front of me and Tina yells at me that I'm a murderer. I couldn't sleep after your death, I couldn't eat," he whispered keeping his voice down.

"Come on, Kuon," Rick interrupted him, "How much did you really eat anyway?"

"That's not the point and you know it," Kuon countered back before sighing and looking at the table, his hands now flat against the top of it. "I think I deserve to know what happened after that night. I think that you at least owe me an explanation of what happened between then and now and when you say you coaxed the gangs? Are you actually telling me that you told them to go after me?"

"It was training and you loved it," Rick told him and Kuon stared at him without blinking. He had thought that all of this time these people had a problem with his ethnicity and Rick was the one who was defending him and protecting him, Rick was the hero that he needed and a substitute big brother to look up to but an older brother would never endanger their kid brother in this way. "And then I screwed up, they wanted to kill you, they wanted to kill me and told me that they were just letting me be okay because they wanted to get to you and I tried to warn you. Tina never knew any of this, I never let her know any of this and then I got hit and you two were just so worried that I was dead and it worked out for me in the end."

"I thought that the coroner and the crime scene investigator took your pulse, checked for any signs of vitals. I thought you just said that you went under victim protection," Kuon said in disbelief. There was so much of his world that he had spent years trying to put back together piece by piece, brick by brick, and someone had just thrust a wrecking ball into all that he knew and was sure of. Now he wasn't sure of anything.

"Well, when you deal with one gang," Rick attempted to explain as if Kuon was an idiot, "You often piss other people off and I did, by trying to use you for my own gain, I pissed a lot of people off and it seemed better for me to remain dea-"

"I can't do this, I'm sorry, I just can't do this," Kuon said as he got to his feet and before anyone could stop him, he had left the restaurant. His head was spinning. His world was spinning. He didn't know his own past anymore, he didn't know who Rick was, he didn't know who he was and really, did it even matter who he was. He had trusted people, trusted facts, and now his whole world was breaking into pieces.

He had to get out of here and leave, go somewhere, anywhere until the world started making sense again.

…..

…..

"I wonder if something happened," Kuu said as he saw Kyoko pacing. Kuon had told the two of them that he would be meeting with Rick about five hours ago and they had been asked not to tell Julie so the two of them had told her that the shoot had run longer than expected and she had gone to sleep a few hours ago. If Kuon didn't return before the morning they would have to find a different story to follow so as not to worry her.

"Father, please think about this," Kyoko said slowly, "of course something happened. I've tried calling him twelve times and he's not answering his phone. Something has happened and he's not even able to tell us about it."

Kuu sighed before hearing noises outside, he heard the crash of something and stood up. Something was strange and he didn't want to think that it was someone from a gang who knew about this and wanted Kuon. He went out, trying to hold Kyoko back but then saw his son walking in a very dazed and confused manner.

"Kuon," he said before smelling the alcohol on his breath, he slung one of Kuon's arms over his shoulder, "Let's get you inside," he said and Kuon laughed.

"They're all against me, Dad. The entire world is against me," he laughed sadly, "It doesn't make sense and it's confusing as hell. Beer makes sense. Beer makes a lot of sense," he laughed before shaking his head. "Rick doesn't make sense."

"Kyoko," Kuu called out to her as Kyoko watched the two Hizuri men unsure of what to do, she couldn't really remember seeing Kuon drunk in Japan and definitely not Ren but he was pretty wasted right now. "Can you go make some coffee," he said as he supported his son's weight.

"We're going to take care of you," Kuu said as he brought Kuon to the living room, "How much have you had?"

"I don't know, six or was it seven or maybe it was just four, how much alcohol is in a beer again?" he asked and Kuu sighed as he managed to get Kuon in a seated position. "I'm doing fine though. I couldn't drive so I left the car there, I didn't think it was safe to drive and that Uber thing is fantastic."

"You took an Uber?" Kuu asked just wanting to make sure he understood the situation. Maybe he should have persuaded Kuon to take Kyoko when he went to meet Rick, at least Rick knew that Kyoko knew. At least Kyoko would have been able to monitor Kuon's drinking.

"Here," Kyoko said as she brought in a bread roll that Kuu had been planning on making sandwiches, "The coffee is going to be ready soon but I thought that having this to soak up the alcohol might help. It's similar to what Okami-san taught me at the restaurant," she sighed and knelt down in front of Kuon offering him the roll. "Please eat it?" she asked, "Please just eat something, it'll help you feel better tomorrow."

"Rick sent guys after me for training," he laughed and Kuu stared at him.

"You mean, Rick wants you to train right now? He told somebody that you were back, that you were here. I didn't think that you had any rivals who even cared anymore. I mean, yeah, some of the people that you used to beat up are still in the gang life, I've noted a few names on the news with criminal arrests and imprisonments but they must have gone onto new targets," Kuu tried to reason with Kuon. This wasn't making any sense to Kuon, why would he be betrayed by someone that he cared so much for and why would Rick resurface just to send people after Kuon?

"You really want me to eat this?" Kuon asked as he picked up the roll clumsily and Kyoko nodded. If the situation wasn't so dire, she would have tried to memorize his behavior so that she could tease him about it later. However, right now it wouldn't help him and it was wrong. She didn't want to see him hurting so much he had to drink to get over it. "Aww, you're so nice to me, Kyoko. You're always so nice to me, why are you nice to me? I was such an asshole to you, I was as much of a jerk as Fuwa, wow that sounds weird Fuuu-wa."

"You really need to drink some coffee," Kyoko said as she returned to the kitchen to get some ready for him. She was very much concerned for her boyfriend but she wouldn't be able to know what really happened until he was sober and that might require some time.

"We're here for you when you're ready to talk," Kuu said as he attempted to comfort his son and Kyoko nodded along to that, she brought him the coffee and put her hand to his cheek.

"I love you, we'll stay up as long as you need us to, right Father?" she asked and Kuu nodded.

"Of course. Whenever you're ready to talk, we'll be ready to listen," he put a hand to Kuon's arm. "No matter how bad it is, we're ready to listen. We care about you and we just want for you to be okay," he said and Kuon started to cry which was startling for both Kuu and Kyoko.

"It feels really nice," he told them and Kyoko paused.

"The coffee?" she asked before Kuon shook his bowed head.

"It feels really nice to have people who care about me and love me," he said as Kyoko and Kuu shared a soft smile between the two of them.

 **End of Chapter Twenty Nine**

 **Thank you for reading**

 **Thank you, reviewers of Chapter Twenty Eight**

EmmaLasagna, Kris XD, RichkeyZero

 **Response to Reviews**

I love Kuu too, I'm actually planning a fic where Kuu and Julie are the main characters 😊


	30. Chapter 30 - Reflections

**AN:** Hope you enjoy this chapter

 **Chapter Thirty - Reflections**

Kuon sat silently outside of the Hizuri house. He had spent so many years thinking that he was a bad guy, thinking that what had happened to Rick had been all his fault, going over every single wrong decision that he could possible have made. Kuon's life had been filled with errors that he had made himself, some even as Ren Tsuruga, but he had wanted to make those mistakes himself not have his good friend play around with his life as if it _was_ a toy.

He couldn't take a breath without feeling like the pain wasn't filling his whole body. He had betrayed people before but maybe this was worse than all of those put together. He had no right to be an actor, no right to think about his dreams, no right to be alive. That was how his good friend had wanted him to feel, right? He had wanted him to think that he was a murderer and to struggle through the world disgusted by who he was.

Kuon paused as he heard someone approach him, "Kyoko, this isn't the ri-"

"It's not Kyoko," another woman said and Kuon looked at his mother. Julie walked over to him, placing a loving hand on his forehead and sweeping back his hair. Kuon watched her before looking downward, his eyes were stuck onto the dirt on the ground whilst trying to take in every small rock or pebble that he could see. After getting wasted the night before he was a little ashamed of his mother seeing him in that way.

"Kuon, you know that I've never not wanted you as my son. There has never been one day that I've not wanted to be your mother. When I got pregnant with you it was as if there was this open gate in my life and I rejoiced so much in the idea of being a mother. I would have a little girl or a little boy," Julie placed her hand over his wrist and squeezed affectionately, her finger brushing along his skin.

"Then you were born and I couldn't wait to show you off to everyone. This was my little boy, my son, a little version of his daddy. I know that Russian mothers might have a slightly sterner reputation but I loved you, I just wanted what was best for you and I was so proud of you. All of those firsts that a parent experiences, I got so happy. Your first smile, your first laugh, your first word, your first step, the first book we read together," she said as Kuon noticed the tears in her eyes. "All of those times I remember and I want to keep remembering them until the day I die. I've loved my time as a model and as an actress but more importantly, it's my time as your mother, as the mother of a little boy who was so creative and kind and tried to see the good in the world."

"Some good there was in the world," Kuon laughed bitterly as he still turned away from her.

"I knew you were suffering, we both knew that you were suffering but after you went to the therapists, the psychiatrist, after we suggested medication, taking you out of school for independent study, thinking about asking family members to -"

"I get it," Kuon said, "I really messed everything up,"

"No, you didn't. Trust me, I wanted you here, I wanted to explore more options and to move with you. I would have done anything in the world to make you smile to make you happy again. I wanted my little boy who always had a huge grin on his face, who appreciated the world and was eager to see what he could do in it, how he could move. Now I know that the best thing that we could have done for you is what we did despite how my heart never recovered until I got you back here with me."

Julie sighed as she kissed Kuon's cheek and he watched her, his eyes taking in how the years had changed her despite her still being one of the most beautiful women in the world.

"You really would have jumped onto a plane just to see my face in a crowd?" Kuon asked her and Julie nodded.

"I would have wanted more than that," she laughed, "Your father is right, I wouldn't have been able to not uncover your identity, however, I would have done anything to see you, that's why I wanted my video message and why I played it twenty times as soon as your father gave it to me. I wanted to see you moving around, see that you were okay. No matter the mistakes you make, I am your mother, I didn't go through nine months of labor to just abandon you. I'm appalled that Kyoko's mother was able to do that," Julie pouted and Kuon sighed.

"So, even though I was tricked and duped, I should still enjoy my acting, still do my best at it and ignore all the pain in life?" he asked and Julie rolled her eyes.

"You can never ignore all of the pain, you can just not incorporate it into your life but into your acting. Plus, if things hadn't turned out this way then you wouldn't have Kyoko, you wouldn't be one of the biggest starts of a Japanese agency, you wouldn't have become you and I can't have that. I've waited so many years for my boy to return home and now you owe me," she said as Kuon coughed.

"I owe you?" he asked.

"I will never forgive you if you and Kyoko don't give me grandchildren," she said as she pointed at him, "I need to have a little granddaughter or little grandson who I can spoil just like I should have spoiled my son, made him unable to see the pain in life."

"What a boring life that would have been," Kuon joked and Julie laughed, wiping away happy tears. Julie leaned over and wrapped her arms around Kuon, she really did still love her baby boy even after how life had gone on for them.

…..

…..

Kuon had been able to struggle through his acting without an NG and Yashiro was worried for him. He had managed to catch the gist of what was going on but he hadn't been able to figure out how it happened or all of those details. Still, Yashiro was angry for his friend who had tried his best to live a good life whilst struggling over a death that he had thought he was the cause for, a death that had never actually happened.

He was wanting to do his best for his client because this was only one realization that he had to get through. Once one secret came out that led to so many secrets to come out of the woodwork and then there was the question to whether there would be a backlash in Japan. Yashiro didn't think so in this case, Kuon hadn't done anything wrong and the stress would be horrific. He was more worried about Kuon having a biopic movie made about his life rather than being completely rejected by the Japanese public.

It would take some time to see what the result of all of this would be and all he could do was hope for the best for his client. As they returned to the Hizuri house, Kuon was surprised to see Kyoko waiting for him on the porch with her hair pulled into an elegant and classic bun whilst she wore an elegant pink dress, she was also wearing Princess Rosa around her neck.

"Hi," he said as he took her in.

She was gorgeous, she was always gorgeous but in this way she looked like a cover model, the kind that was meant to draw in the public so they bought that magazine. However, Kuon couldn't remember if they had planned anything. He hadn't thought so, alcohol would not be on the list of things that he wanted to drink right now but Kyoko looked as if she were expecting something from him.

"Hi," she smiled as she stood up and walked over to him, putting a hand to his shirt and noticing that he had been sweating a little. She grinned, she didn't care if he sweat on her, she just wanted him to know how important his life was to her and how much she would give for him. She loved him and she hated the unfair way he had been treated in the past.

"Did we have something planned?" she asked and Kyoko shook her head. "Then what is all of this about, not that I don't appreciate it."

"I want to celebrate you," Kyoko told him as she smiled, "I want you to know that despite what you learned there's a lot of good in you. As Corn you prepared me for the world, you let me know that it was safe to cry and that I could take care of myself even if I didn't have anyone I could truly depend upon. As Ren you helped me achieve so much happiness with my acting. If I hadn't met you then my life wouldn't have turned out this well so tonight, I wanted to celebrate you and if you want me to change then -"

"You don't have to change," Kuon told her with a smile, "I do have to say that I do feel proud that I was right."

"You were right?" Kyoko repeated.

"You are absolutely gorgeous and growing more and more beautiful with every passing day," he said before placing his hand under her cheek so that he could raise her chin and kiss her passionately. Words would never be enough to express his emotional connection to her.

…..

…..

"So," Kuu said as he looked up from his script as Julie still felt happy about how she had been able to transform Kyoko into someone with even more beauty. When Kyoko had asked to look like a model, Julie had gotten excited but told her that there wasn't a lot that needed to change since she was so beautiful. "Do you think that Kuon will be okay? Do we need to watch for his anger? Is that something that you -"

"Kuon doesn't seem to be experiencing anything like that," Julie said before sighing. "I think that he's more upset than anything else," she said, "his whole perspective of life just got changed. As long as Kuon is with Kyoko and close to home where he knows we accept him and love him then I don't see why he wouldn't be okay," Julie argued and Kuu frowned.

"So, you don't think he's going to go out and…kill Rick either?" he asked and Julie raised an eyebrow.

"You better not be calling my little boy, _our son_ , a murderer," Julie argued, "Rick did something horrible to him. Kuon deserves to be angry about that but you can not honestly tell me that you think that Kuon is going to do anything like murder anyone."

"Not murder then….but if I was Rick I would be a bit concerned about his safety," Kuu told her and Julie raised an eyebrow.

"So you are referring to Kuon as a murderer," she said sounding angry about the situation and Kuu sighed.

"Rick doesn't have to fear his safety when it comes to Kuon, at least right now, but he does have to worry about me," he said before laughing in a way that definitely made Julie feel uneasy.

 **End of Chapter Thirty**

 **Thank you for reading**

 **Thank you to the reviewers of Chapter Twenty Nine**

Guest, Kris XD, ktoll9, Misherukuro, paulagato

 **Response to Reviews**

Thank you so much for all of the support not just for this fic but for all of mine, I know there are many who read more than one. I have really shown Rick in a bad way here but I think that it allows Kuon more room to grow. Kuon will have to decide how to move forward especially with a shock like this.


	31. Chapter 31 - Kuon's Hero

**AN:** Thank you for your patience with this chapter, there's been a lot going on

 **Chapter Thirty-One – Kuon's Hero**

He had been acting for thirty years. Thirty years of acting was a long time for an actor but his first roles had been minor high school slice of life ones. However, it was only when he met his wife that he had learned family was so much more important than acting. Now his son was being pushed through a painful situation and he couldn't take it. Kuon deserved so much better.

Kuu had gained a reputation when he was a young actor of being someone from the wrong side of the tracks, a bad boy rebel and this had been reflected in one of his major roles, Kyoshiro. He had had to push himself through the anger and pain when he had played that role but he had been well loved. Kuu sighed as he looked down at the phone in his hand. The meeting shouldn't be too far off now.

Kuu had managed to get clothes that were ideal for street fighting. He didn't care how old he was or the way that his body wasn't as athletic as Kuon's was. He didn't care that he might get hurt because this type of game that Rick was playing with Kuon wasn't something Kuu could ever approve of. He closed his eyes and waited.

…

…

" _Damn you Kyoshiro!" Kuu heard as he entered the house. He paused as he looked around. Wasn't the nanny supposed to be helping them today because Julie had a fitting she had to go to. Why was he hearing this? Why would a three year old be wearing this?_

 _Kuu put his bag down and went to the room where the noise was coming from. He wanted to fire that babysitter for putting Kuon through this. Kuon was too young for this type of movie. Kuu felt his blood freeze within his veins as he looked at the screen and saw that his character had blood on his face that was trickling down his body._

" _Kuon!" he said as the nanny paused, her eyes widening at the screen. "Hey, don't…don't watch this, okay, this isn't…can you turn this off?" he asked and the nanny immediately rushed forward and put it on pause but there was just a still image of Kuu's character._

" _Daddy" Kuon grinned up at his father, "Welcome home," he chirped before looking at the screen and shivered. Kuu paused and he dropped down onto the floor next to Kuon. Kuu turned the TV screen off and then saw Kuon come to him for a hug. Kuu nervously held Kuon in his arms before standing up so he could carry Kuon. His little boy was so important to him and Kuon had just witnessed something so scary._

" _I'm really sorry," the nanny said, "When I saw that you were in it I thought that it would be good to see your work. I must have turned my back for a -" Kuu put his hand up to pause her and sighed, he took a deep breath in._

" _It's okay, we'll discuss it later," he said. He turned to Kuon and kissed his forehead. "Kuon," he said slowly as he sat down on the sofa with his son. "Daddy loves you, right? You know what acting is, right?"_

" _Pretend?" Kuon asked and Kuu grinned._

" _Yeah, it's playing pretend. Do you know who was the person on the screen?" he asked and Kuon nodded._

" _That was you playing pretend, Daddy," he grinned and Kuon smoothed his hair back._

" _Exactly," he told him with a thumbs up, "You're my smart boy, aren't you?" he asked and Kuon laughed with a nod. "And so that was Daddy playing pretend, he was trying to be scary but I hope you weren't scared, Kuon, were you?" he asked and the nearly-four year old turned his head to the side._

" _No. I think Daddy was a good guy," Kuon told him and Kuu's face softened as he felt relief at the fact that his little boy wasn't terrified of him. "I love you, Daddy," Kuon told him and Kuu sighed, he cuddled Kuon closely, pushing his hair back from his face as he grinned._

" _I love you too, my little Kuon," he grinned and Kuon hummed happily in his father's arms._

…..

…

Kuu looked at his son's phone, he felt a little guilty about taking his grown son's phone but how else was he going to confront this asshole who had made his little boy suffer so badly. He closed his eyes before hearing someone join him in the alleyway and he looked up, his face turning cold in a way that Rick had never seen before.

"You're not Kuon," Rick said and Kuu chuckled in a cold manner, he raised an eyebrow, "Why are you her-"

"Well, my son trusts me, my son would tell me what's going on, my son that you screwed over multiple times. I don't want you going anywhere near my son. He's happy. He's finally home and happy and I have you to hold responsible for messing with his life. Kuu struck forward a punch, his gloved hand hitting the brick wall before pulling back and blowing the dust off the leather glove.

"Have you noticed that I'm in a wheelchair, Kuu?" Rick asked and Kuu raised an eyebrow.

"I don't have a problem with that. I think we've gone far beyond the idea of using physical disabilities to get any kind of sympathy. Plus, how do I know that it's not a trick, another one of your deceptions," Kuu kicked the wheel of the chair putting the brake on so that Rick either had to get up or he had to stay there.

"You really don't expect to win in a fight, do you?" Rick asked with a smug smile. "You're an old man. You know, if you were a decent father then Kuon wouldn't have broken but you weren't…"

Kuu chuckled darkly as his expression turned into one that could rival either of his son's. "You have no idea what I'm capable of," he said, "just because I like to use peaceful means to get what I want doesn't mean that I'm incapable of destroying you. I mean, I could beat the crap out of you right now," he said as he drew his arm back and then felt someone grab hold of it.

He paused, unsure of who was touching him but if it was the authority then he didn't care.

"You don't want to do this," he heard Kuon say as he stood behind him and then as Kuu lowered his fist, Kuon threw his arms around his father. "Just think about it, I love you but aren't there are other ways of us dealing with _him_?" he asked and Kuu felt his body weaken and Kyoko quickly took Kuon's phone out of his wallet and then, in the hand that wasn't holding the bag, dialed a number on a piece of paper.

"I knew that you would save me," Rick laughed, "You've always been loyal to me."

"Heh," Kuon laughed and raised an eyebrow. "You think that I'm doing this…for you?" he asked with a cold smile before putting his hands on the back of Kuu's shoulders. "I owe you nothing and that includes my attention. I'm here, stopping this because of my dad, my hero. I don't give a crap about you but I don't want my dad to risk his career."

"You're a daddy's boy, aren't you?" Rick laughed in a mocking sense and Kuon shrugged.

"Yes. I'm a daddy's boy," he repeated and then saw his father looking at him with such warmth in his eyes, he sighed before dropping his head and then opened his mouth. "Dad, don't say anything, don't apologize or anything. You were doing this to protect me and I'm so thankful but I'm going to be okay."

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Kuu asked nervously and Kyoko returned to them with a huge grin on her face.

"It's done," she told Kuon as she handed him back his phone and he looked at his father.

"Why don't we go home?" he asked, "And nobody tells Mom any of this."

"That sounds like a deal," Kuu said before hearing a car near the area. He was about to turn thinking that it was a police car and it would probably damage his reputation if anyone found out he wanted to hit a guy in a wheelchair. However, what he saw surprised him. Rick's mother and older brother.

"Come on, Father" Kyoko said as he tugged at his hand and Kuu sighed. He really was thankful that his children cared about him so much. He might have done something that he wouldn't be able to take back if it wasn't for Kuon. He really did want to protect the two of them and their happiness.

"Kuon," Kuu said nervously, "I just want to apo-"

"I told you," Kuon replied firmly, "No apologies. I should be the one to apologize for leaving for Japan but tonight, Kyoko has reminded me that if I hadn't left for Japan then I wouldn't enjoy acting the way that I do now and I definitely wouldn't know how it feels to be in love with an amazing woman. If I hadn't been Tsuruga Ren then I would never have been Katsuki in Dark Moon and that was a drama that I did with Kyoko. I should be grateful at the way things turned out because I became a stronger person and I met the love of my life."

"And I met the love of mine," Kyoko blushed. "Corn is my prince, he was in the past and he'll continue being in the future," she grinned at him. "Let's just call this a temporary lapse of judgment," she tried to tell Kuu to cheer him up. "Let's prepare dinner tonight, Father"

"Sure," Kuu said as he turned to look back in the direction that they had just come. "Yes, we can call it that."

"I do love you, Dad" Kuon said as Kuu smiled. All he needed was for his son to be happy and safe and it seemed that Kyoko was doing such a good job at doing that, better than he had ever done.

…

…

" _Are you sure that you're not going to have nightmares after what you saw today?" Kuu asked after he had given Kuon his bath and got him changed into warm pajamas before tucking him into his bed. "I want you to know that I will never act like that towards you. I will never hurt you, my little Kuon."_

" _I'm good," Kuon grinned, "That's your job, you play pretend for other people."_

" _Yeah, I act so that other people can enjoy it," Kuu smiled softly at his son. He really did love this little boy with his entire heart and though he knew he couldn't bubblewrap him from the world, he could try to show that the world wasn't as scary as it might seem._

" _Daddy, I want to do that too," he said, "you're my hero."_

 _Kuu's expression softened and he smoothed down the little boy's hair. He would be turning four soon and though four wasn't such a big step, there would be much more that Kuon was exposed to. He just wanted his little boy to be smiling and happy forever. "You promise me that if you have any bad dreams, you'll come find me?" he asked and Kuon nodded._

" _I'm good. Love you, Daddy" he laughed happily and Kuu kissed the top of his head._

" _Love you too, my little Kuon."_

 **End of Chapter Thirty-One**

 **Thank you for reading**

 **Thank you reviewers of Chapter Thirty**

EmmaLasagna, Grayladywoolf, Guest, Kris XD, misherukuro, PaulaGaTo

 **Response to Reviews**

I always thought that chicken thing was weird and I kind of didn't like the way Kuon was before and after he was friends with Rick, it seemed that he really changed and it was more than the accident that changed him. Kuon doesn't want anything more to do with Rick so he's definitely going to be going through some moral changes as well but he has his family and Kyoko there for support which is more than can be said for Rick.


	32. Chapter 32 - The Ideal Role

**AN:** Thank you for your patience in the update of this fic. I hope you enjoy.

 **Chapter Thirty Two – The Ideal Role**

Kuon knew how the lights in the studio shouldn't feel this bright and that talk shows in America weren't that different from talk shows in Japan but suddenly it felt like he was bridging a huge divide between the two nations. He was already an established actor in Japan and so many people gave him an easier time because they wanted to have him on their shows more but here in America he was just coming out as a new actor. He had no room to boast or anything that was anchoring him.

He was just stuck in between America and Japan and he had to make this work.

"So, we wanted to introduce our new guest," Rebecca, one of the hosts of the talk show smiled as she gestured to Kuon. "This is new star, or at least new star for us in the US, Kuon Hizuri. Kuon, a lot of people are probably linking you to the star Kuu Hizuri, I understand that Kuu is your father?"

"Yes." Kuon nodded, "I was always inspired by my father to be an actor. I tried it before as a kid but I didn't really make it into the industry. I actually became a somewhat popular actor in Japan and then have recently decided to try it again in Hollywood."

"And may I say," Ryan, the other host grinned, "When you say a somewhat popular actor, you're actually talking modestly. According to our research, not only are you one of if not the most popular and successful actor in Japan right now, you have a large fanbase over here with those who are interested in Japanese culture. Is that true?"

"You could say that," Kuon grinned, "I worked under the name of Tsuruga Ren for so long and now this is something new and different for me and I'm enjoying it a lot. I hope that with the role that I've been given, I'll be able to show the US audience what kinds of roles I'm capable of performing."

"Well," Rebecca laughed, "Seeing some of the clips of your acting which, unfortunately right now we are under contract not to show, I can tell our audience that they will be swept away by your acting. So, would you say that acting over in Japan is the same as acting here?"

"Not the same at all, it's much more competitive here and even veteran Japanese actors will comment on how Hollywood acting is at a higher level, not that I don't love the work that I've been doing in Japan. Also, in Japan, until you reach a certain age you can have a manager take on a few of the duties of a guardian in the way they will travel with you. I know that here, unless you have a family member as your manager, you are pretty much left to stand up for yourself," Kuon told them and they nodded slowly.

"Are you saying that there's more competition for young actors in America?" Rebecca asked and Kuon nodded.

"Though that's not exactly what I'm saying, it is something that I deeply agree with. I think that a lot of people from around the world have dreams of acting in Hollywood or on Broadway depending on your skillset. I think that makes it a little bit rougher of a competition in America with perhaps greater rewards as well. If you make a movie in America, a lot of times people all around the world are excited to see it but if you make a movie in Japan only a niche market watches you in America."

Kuon looked down. This was going a little smoother than he thought that it would have. He wondered if perhaps it was the curiosity of everything. A lot of people in America didn't know about the cultural status of many other countries. It always seemed to be fascinating to Americans when he talked about how he was only half-American and they would ask him questions he didn't know the answers to about Russia and Japan. That had started in elementary school.

"So, would you say you'd prefer to be a Hollywood actor?" Ryan asked and Kuon nodded.

"I've always wanted to act on screen in America and I'm not ashamed of my work in Japan and I'm definitely not the only Japanese actor interested in pursuing an American career. I want to work internationally. There are a number of things in Japan that I don't want to give up so it would be difficult to move my career here but I'd love to spend some of the year here acting in American television and film."

Kuon smiled thoughtfully. Maybe things would work out for him, it was already starting to feel much smoother than he had believed it would be. He was starting to see things broken down more simply and he was coming up with a game plan for his work in the country.

There was just one variable that made the difference to him, one variable that determined everything.

Kyoko.

….

….

Kyoko paused as she looked at her phone, the news still sinking in. She had been requested for what had been projected to be the top drama in Japan for the following year. She had already had the role of Mio in Dark Moon but this one was different. She would be playing a princess from fairyland who found herself in the real world. It was supposed to be similar to the Disney movie Enchanted and they had asked her if she could play the main role.

This was as if she had won the lottery in terms of roles. A fairy princess was two of her most dreamed of roles knocked out at once. She couldn't have turned it down even if she was being offered millions of dollars to do so. There was a catch though. The director wanted to finalize everything when she went to see him in person and he wanted to do that as soon as possible.

This was her dream role, it was something that she truly wanted and yet she was hesitant, nervous…

What would this mean for Kuon? Was he steady enough if she were to leave? How could she even question her sempai like that? Even though she was concerned about him as his girlfriend. He was still her sempai, he still had far more years in the industry than she did, he had four more years of life as well.

Still, he knew how important this would be for her and would feel guilty were she, in any way, to jeopardize it for him. She just needed to make sure that she didn't come back to something that needed her here. Then again, was it worth being in a relationship where you felt so needed and was she just nervous because of Kuon's reaction with Rick.

She sighed and then stood up, she grabbed her phone and texted Yashiro. Maybe they could talk about this. He knew the entertainment industry well and she wouldn't be too uncomfortable talking about her judgments of Kuon with him. Maybe he could even help her figure out which words to use when telling Kuon.

After receiving an address for a small diner that Yashiro had gone to in order to work on some paperwork, Kyoko made her way out the door. She had no idea that Yashiro had also agreed to meet Kuon at the address.

…..

…..

As Kyoko finally arrived at the address, she paused nervously as she saw her tall, blond, emerald-eyes boyfriend excited to see her. She didn't know that he would be here. Did he come here looking for her? Maybe she should just tell him face to face, explain that it was her dream role, something that she had always wanted.

"Hey," Kuon grinned as he approached her. "I wasn't expecting to see you until later," he said before putting a hand on her cheek to tuck some of her hair behind her ear. She smiled looking up at him and got onto her tip toes to kiss him, he leaned down deepening the kiss.

"I wanted to talk to Yashiro about something, ask his advice. I wasn't sure if you were busy or not," Kyoko said and Kuon blinked at her.

"I'm never too busy to help you. Is it something that I _can_ help you with?" he asked and Kyoko paused nervously.

"I got offered a role in a Japanese drama for next year, it's really exciting," she told him and Kuon nodded slowly. "I have to meet with the director in person in order to confirm the role."

"Well, is it a role that you're looking forward to doing? You said it was exciting," Kuon commented. He saw Kyoko tense and then tried to study her, he wasn't sure what was going on through her head. Usually he could read her but for some reason it seemed that she was scared of him and he was really and truly hoping that he wasn't scaring her. He would be a terrible boyfriend if that was the case.

"Yes, it's the role of a fairy princess," Kyoko told him.

Kuon laughed happily, "That's what you've always wanted to do," he told her. "Isn't that the dream role for you?" he asked but Kyoko stepped forward and placed a hand on his wrist.

"I don't want you to not feel stable," Kyoko told him as she looked to him and Kuon stared at her in shock, his emerald eyes widening as he took her in. "I don't want to -"

"I promise you that I'll be fine," Kuon told her as he looked at her affectionately. He didn't want to tell Kyoko how it had hurt him how she felt that she could give up on her dreams because she was scared of how he would take it. He never wanted for her to see him in the same way that she viewed Fuwa. "Please don't worry about me," he told her before kissing her hand, "Listen to me, don't worry about me because I never want you to put my feelings above your dreams."

"You're an idiot," Kyoko whispered though she had a grin over her face and Kuon tilted his head to the side.

"I'm an idiot?" he asked and Kyoko nodded, "Wow, I mean if you're truly tel-"

"I love you," Kyoko grinned. "I am so happy to be your girlfriend, Corn, but I will always consider your feelings. I just have to. I have two types of dreams and you're one of them, you're my dream of a future, a happy future with the two of us."

"Really, a happy future?" he asked and Kyoko looked at him with her hands at her side.

"I love you," she repeated, "I can't think of anybody else that I'd want to have a future with. You've been such a big part of my life and I'm not ready to let that stop so please don't lose your head whilst I'm gone. If you feel bad then you can call me but -"

"I think I'll be fine," he smiled to her and then looked down nervously. Kyoko now knew something was bothering him. "I think I might look for a therapist when we get back to Japan," he told her.

 **End of Chapter Thirty Two**

 **Thank you for reading**

 **Thank you reviewers of Chapter Thirty One**

Kris XD, misherukuro, Paulagato,

 **Response to Reviews**

I'm glad people enjoyed the flashbacks and the focus on Kuu 😊 What happens with Rick will be part of the next chapter but I thought that some joy would be good too.


	33. Chapter 33 - Things Get Better

**AN:** I'm going to be honest here and I don't want to be blaming anyone but there is a reason why I held back on the update of this fic. The last chapter got over two-hundred views and only one review. That's less than one-percent. I don't blame anyone individually but it kind of broke my heart and made me not want to write. That being said, I hope you do enjoy this chapter, it's like happy-ish.

 **Chapter Thirty Three – Things Get Better**

Kuon sighed as he saw the phone ringing, he had been a little distracted since Kyoko had boarded the flight and his feelings had all seemed to crash into each other when he had noticed that she had gone. He didn't want to be clingy though. Being one of those over-dependent boyfriends didn't suit his style anyway and being one of those jealous boyfriends would drive a wedge between them. Still, she would know that something was wrong if he didn't answer her phone call.

Just as it was about to go to voice mail, he picked it up. "Hi," he said casually though he knew that it was her, "Hizuri Kuon speaking."

"Hey," Kyoko replied from the other side and Kuon could imagine the huge smile that had taken over her face. "Did I catch you in the middle of something?" she asked and Kuon shook his head though he knew that she wouldn't see him. "Oh god, did I. I mean, if you can't talk right now then I'm sorry, I'll call you back or you can ca-"

"You're okay," Kuon replied feeling guilty that she had panicked. "I'm just a little…I think that I have too many thoughts right now, should probably organize them, right?" he joked and Kyoko gave a breath of relief.

"Can't Yashiro-san help you with that?" she asked and Kuon smiled again as he studied his hand that wasn't holding the phone.

"Most likely," he told her before sitting down on the bed. "Your trip went smoothly, not a lot of turbulence?"

"Some, not a lot," Kyoko said as she relaxed, "I wanted to call to tell you that I've just gotten through arrivals. I wanted to call you before but I thought that you might want me to find a place that's more –"

"I appreciate it," Kuon replied as he closed his eyes. He wanted to make sure that she didn't hear the anxiety in his voice, it wasn't something that was involving her and he would feel guilty if he worried her. No, he just needed to keep his cool and focus on her work. Somehow though he felt more exposed whilst he was here, he ran his fingers through his blond hair. "You can take the bag to my apartment if you want," he told her, "or our apartment maybe, once you have your key."

He heard a silence followed by a squeak and some giggles. He smiled, at least she was enjoying herself, that was important. "I'm looking forward to living with you, Kuon," she admitted and Kuon could imagine just how red her face was. He really did love her. As long as she wasn't aware of how nervous he was then she would be fine, she could concentrate on her work.

"I love you, Kyoko," he told her.

"I…I love you too, you'll call me if anything happens?" she asked him nervously and Kuon smiled though he knew she couldn't see him.

"Absolutely," he said though it might be a promise that he just couldn't keep.

…

…

Kyoko felt a little nervous as she stood there with her face completely red. She should have gotten used to talking with her boyfriend but it was the fact that they were having the conversation in public that made her feel so special. She could boast that she was Kuon Hizuri's girlfriend, someone that she loved and wanted to be selfish about how much they loved one another.

She would be meeting with the director later in the day and then another meeting the following day as well as the president and the following day she would be flying back to America to be with Kuon as soon as possible. She smiled as she looked at the bag that she was holding. So many memories of Kuon were tucked away in it and hopefully they would be able to satisfy her cravings.

As she made her way out of the arrival gate, Kyoko's eyes caught onto someone that the president had sent for her who wasn't Rutou. She went over to them and grinned. Hopefully this would keep her mind off of her anxiety for Kuon. He had already been stretched emotionally and he didn't really allow himself to speak to others. She wasn't there and she hoped that he would confide in either his parents or Yashiro. He at least needed to be able to speak to somebody.

"How are you, Kyoko-san?" the man asked her and Kyoko smiled to him.

"I'm doing well," she said and the man nodded.

"Shall I take you to your hotel room?" he asked and Kyoko froze. She knew that the president had offered her a hotel room and she had been too insecure to tell him that she'd be staying at Kuon's apartment where she could spend time in his bed and think about him.

"No," she said quickly, "I've got a different address but I'll tell you in the car," she smiled before bowing out of respect, "Thank you so much for meeting me," she said with the low bow, "I truly am thankful for you doing so."

"You're welcome, it's my honor to collect you," the man told her before taking her bag and Kyoko's mouth opened as she thought about protesting but she shook her head. This man was just doing his job. As someone who once had the job of carrying other people's bags she knew how to respect him in letting him do what he was hired to do. Her mind flashed back on her first Love Me assignment and how differently she had viewed Ren Tsuruga. Kuon was so different and she couldn't imagine him doing the same thing to her now, well she could imagine it but she didn't think that it was possible.

 _I hope you will call me if something happens,_ Kyoko thought to herself as she did a double check of whether her phone was still in her pocket. She would always answer his call. After all, nothing in this life would have been possible if he hadn't been her precious sempai. She just needed to be part of his strength right now especially after this Rick drama had happened.

…

…

Yashiro looked over the information as they sat outside of the Hizuri estate near where some flowers were growing and under the shade of a tree. He looked very serious as he studied the information, his fingers running through the names and phone numbers that were on the documents. "I'm going to run this information through with the president if that's okay, see what kind of confidentiality agreement we can come to with one or more of them and then we'll take it from there," he said before looking at his client.

"Great," Kuon nodded nervously, "I know it's a lot to ask and you might not want to continue wor-"

"I want to continue our working relationship," Yashiro assured him. He studied the documents once again and hummed to himself. "Is it okay if I do some further research on these doctors?" he asked and Kuon nodded, "Just because you're seeking psychiatric help, Kuon, it doesn't mean that you're crazy."

Kuon blinked as he took a deep breath in, "I am crazy," he argued and Yashiro raised an eyebrow.

"How so?" he asked, "It's always good to ask for help if you need it and though I can't release any names, you're not the only actor in Japan to go to one of these people for help. I think that there are some actors who get stuck inside of their characters and to be frank, it's pretty amazing how you don't suddenly start believing you're Ren Tsuruga again."

Kuon chuckled at that. He didn't quite see Ren Tsuruga as being a different person entirely, in fact apart from the first two years, he didn't actively try to be someone else in terms of personality but he had found that he could show some of his true self whilst behind those brown eye contacts and that stage name. Some parts of Ren had been parts of Kuon he hadn't realized were there. Now that he could forgive himself for Rick's so-called death, he could mature into someone else.

"Let me know if that ever happens," Kuon told him with a smile. "I'll need to prevent Kyoko from seeing such a thing."

"I'm sure that Kyoko would only want to help," Yashiro said as he sighed happily, "She's a really good girl and you should feel lucky to have her be your girlfriend."

"I do," Kuon nodded before hearing the alarm on his phone, "I have to get to an interview, will you do some research on this and report your findings when I get back?" he asked and Yashiro grinned to him.

"I'm more than happy to do that," he assured his client and Kuon grinned gratefully.

After leaving the house, Kuon got into his car and drove along the street. Somehow, it didn't seem so bad driving anymore. He knew that he hadn't killed the man who had once been his best friend, he knew that he wasn't a murderer so really, he didn't feel that he had anything to worry about. Kuon drove the car through the neighborhood but then decided to face his fears. He still had a little time to do so. It was getting late, the sun was going down but it was going to be a live evening interview and he was feeling good that he could drive down this road okay. Rick was back with his family. It was better but as he stopped thinking about Rick, Kuon could see how strangely empty this road was.

This was Southern California, surely there had to be some traffic somewhere. Kuon slowed his car and heard someone speeding behind him, he turned over to the corner of the road and then his heart froze as he saw something against his back window and heard the unmistakable sound of guns being shot.

Someone was shooting _at_ him!?

Okay, he had to calm down, there was an alleyway near here that he remembered. If he drove down a one-way street, knocked some trashcans over or something, he could get to the studio without causing too much damage to the car or risking exposure to himself.

He heard the sound of the car from before getting into the distance before seeing a car driving directly at him and he felt the crash, the pain as the other car slammed in on him. In a dazed state, he grabbed to his phone but felt four guys grab hold of him. Okay, he had to think strategically about this. Who was the strongest? If you took out the strongest guy then the others quickly toppled down.

He didn't have time to think though as he felt himself being thrown onto the ground and heard a familiar voice from his past, a gang member that he had "humiliated" in front of his gang. That was so long ago, they were just kids then.

"You don't want me," he whispered as he managed to get one guy unconscious but four more hands replaced the two and he could see the glint in the gang leader's eyes as he pulled out a very nice gun and Kuon struggled again.

He heard the sound of the man's finger on the trigger of the gun and heard a click. The next thing he felt was the barrel of the gun pressed against his head and with jagged breaths, Kuon struggled to find a way out.

"Say goodnight, Hizuri, you half-breed monster."

BANG.

 **End of Chapter Thirty Three**

 **Thank you for reading**

 **Thank you to** Kris XD **for reviewing Chapter Thirty Two**


	34. Chapter 34 - Six Months Later

**AN:** Huge time jump in this one but I hope you like it. There will be answers given and flashbacks shown in future chapters. Also, you guys made it easier to update this quickly as I got three reviews. See how easy that is, I get at least 1% reviews from views and you guys get the chapter easier 😉

 **Start of Chapter Thirty-Four**

Kuu looked around the police station as the officer led him to a small office. He didn't know what this was about. All he knew was that Kuon hadn't returned that night and that he hadn't picked up his phone but had he been arrested? Had something happened again? What was going on?

"Sir, I'd like you to identify some photographs for us," he said and Kuu nervously nodded as he took a seat opposite the officer.

"Where's my son?" Kuu asked nervously but the officer ignored him, "I'm a citizen in this country, I'm a celebrity, I deserve to know where my son is and what condition he's in," Kuu started to demand but the officer instead placed eight photographs in front of him. Four were of the car that Kuon was driving with a pool of blood on the ground and a limp body that seemed placed into the car.

Kuu examined them, the way the body was hanging in the car. His attention then went to the bottom ones which showed that the car had exploded and the body had burnt up in the explosion. His eyes widened, the license plate was the same as the car that Kuon had been driving. No, they must have recreated it for a set.

The police officer saw Kuu's face and then set another photograph down that brought tears to Kuu's eyes as he looked at it in horror. There was a picture of Kuon taken from the front, his head with a bullet hole in it and blood coating his face and hair. Kuu's finger went onto it. His son had had such a promising future and now he was gone.

"Can you identify the ma-" the officer started to ask and Kuu looked at him feeling disgusted by the whole process.

"Yes," he said firmly, closing himself up to the world, "That's my son, Kuon Hizuri."

He looked at the photograph wishing that he had done something to protect Kuon but he wasn't sure what had happened. He put an arm around himself as he looked at the lifeless corpse of his son in the photograph. He was dead. His little boy had been murdered.

"I'm so sorry for your loss, Mr. Hizuri" the man continued and Kuu nodded not sure how to respond to anything. His son wasn't going to come back home, he wasn't going to be doing anything any longer.

 **Chapter Thirty Four – Six Months Later**

Kuon Hizuri had died when he was just twenty-two-years-old. He had left behind a celebrated acting career and a loving girlfriend and a hole with his absence between his friends and with his family. Kyoko had gone on to do not just the role that she had left for when she was dating Kuon but she had done other ones too. However, whenever she came to a part in the script that was difficult for her or when she was on set and needed someone to be honest with her, she would look up and realize that he was gone.

Now it was December and Kyoko – very popular with the guys now – was going to spend her birthday with people who loved her and had invited her to their home and now, instead of Kuon going to look at a stone marking Rick's grave, she was going to pay her respects at the memorial that Kuu had built for Kuon.

As she arrived at the Hizuri home on the twenty-third she still couldn't believe that they had once stood there together, basking in the sunlight and thinking about how it might be nice to get married one day and to have children. She might have that one day with somebody else but not with the person she really wanted to share that with, not with Corn.

As she knocked on the door, she saw a skeleton-thin man with brown hair standing there. It was strange seeing Kuu without an enormous amount of food behind him or his golden hair but he had lost the will to continue after he had seen the photographs and the couple had more than enough to take some time off and out of the spotlight. She still was shocked he went back to his original hair color and he had a rather thick amount of stubble covering his mouth.

"Hey," he smiled to her weakly as she noticed that he was still primarily wearing black. "Let me take your bags, you know your way to the guest room?" he asked her and Kyoko nodded. She froze as she saw that still – six months later – Kuu had left Kuon's suitcase in the hallway as if he were coming back for it.

"You look…good, Fa—Kuu" Kyoko said nervously. She saw how pained he was when she called him 'Father' these days and though he would try to hide it, it always reminded him of Kuon. Kyoko saw him nod weakly and looked around for Julie. She had the feeling that she would have been engaged to Kuon at this point. She really had always loved her fairy prince.

"You're such a good actress that I almost believed you," Kuu tried to joke but his delivery was flat. "We'll be having dinner later but if there's anything that you'd like to request."

"All of your cooking is good," Kyoko paused. She saw the pictures of Kuon everywhere still, it pained her how his last conversation about his death was to look for someone to help him, look for a way he could speak to someone about his problems. He had wanted to get better for her and she had disappointed him. She had wanted to give up acting but had felt he would be disappointed in her if she did that.

Kyoko kissed his cheek and went to the guest room. She put her bag onto the bed and cried. This was his family's house and after years of them all getting therapy and even after Kuu had gone to threaten Rick's family and demand that he have an explanation for Kuon's death, there was still that gaping hole that the wonderful blond man had left.

Kyoko nervously walked out of the room and went to the main bedroom, she heard a woman sobbing inside and she could only imagine that Julie was still not coping with the fact that Kuon had died and how it had been done so ruthlessly. She closed her eyes as the sadness inside the house took hold of her and then she felt her heart straining as alarm bells sounded. Someone had broken onto the Hizuri property.

…..

…..

Kuu had heard the sound of someone breaking in and had decided to go out to see for himself what it was. He had thought that if someone had had interest in them that they would have come to get them six months ago when Kuon had died. Their interest seemed to stop with Kuon and because it was a gang crime, the police had been of little help and Kuu blamed corruption for that. There had to be someone who had blown the car up, someone who had shot his son. Kuu put his boots on and went to a locked part of his bookcase and took out his own gun.

If they were going to play with weapons then he would too.

Kuu slowly stepped out of the house, noticing how the sun was going down which put him even more on edge. He took a steady breath and held the gun up. His eyes widened as he saw a figure wearing torn-up jeans, a grey baggy hoody, and the type of shoes that you might expect a homeless guy to be wearing staggering across his lawn.

How did this guy get in here? How did he break through the gate? He didn't seem in good enough physical form to jump over it.

"I'm warning you," Kuu said as he pointed his gun at the man, "This is private property. You have just broken onto private property and it is my right to shoot you if you do not leave. Please return to the gate or I'll call the authorities. Please leave," he said and looked at the man as he seemed to stumble. Was he drunk?

Kuu's eyes widened as he noticed that the guy was carrying a gun in one of the pockets of his hoody. He took another breath in. Had this guy been sent to kill them? He was doing an inadequate job if that was the case.

"I do not want to kill you but I may have to shoot you if you do not drop your weapon and leave," Kuu threatened before seeing the man move over to the house, he collapsed against it and Kuu saw the man's hand slip to his pocket. Was he really aiming for the gun? Kuu took a deep breath in and shot the gun, missing intentionally by a few inches but the man fell down anyway.

"I'm not…" the man said, his voice coming out extremely rough as if he were recovering from a sore throat. "I won't hurt you. I'm not…I'm not here for that," he coughed and Kuu could tell that this man had some kind of a chest infection. He didn't know what to do. His moves depended on what the man did next.

"Get up and move to the gate," Kuu said as he felt a pain in his chest at how this might be connected to Kuon's murder and he was unwilling to do anything. He should have taken revenge on Rick's family for the pain that he and Julie had had to endure. He saw the man start to cough as he rolled onto his side and took the chance. Kuu ran over to the man and grabbed the gun from his pocket. With deep breaths he held one of the two guns to the man's chest, he couldn't see his face.

"I can't…I can't get up," the man said and Kuu rolled his eyes. He used his foot to move the man onto his back and then kicked the man's hood back. His eyes widened as he looked at the guy who was lying limply on the ground. No…way.

Despite how messy and ungroomed the man was, his longer unkempt blond hair, the way that he had a number of scars on his face and neck, a broken nose, despite the pain in his eyes of someone who has narrowly escaped death, Kuu Hizuri knew what his son looked like.

"Can't be seen," Kuon seemed to panic as if he were on some type of drug, "I can't be seen. I need the hood," he said before coughing again and Kuu crouched beside him. He put his hands on Kuon's chest but something was very wrong. What had his son been through?

"It's okay," Kuu said as he pulled the hood of the sweater up and covered his son's face again. "It's okay, you won't be seen," he tried to promise him. "You're safe, okay?" he asked as he heard Kuon whispering something but he was speaking too quietly for Kuu to make out the words. It was as if his son had been drugged. "I'm here," Kuu tried to reassure him as he held Kuon's hands with both of his.

"I had to…keep a…promise," Kuon finally breathed out painfully and Kuu paused.

"To Kyoko?" he asked and Kuon nodded, "What did you -"

"Also to you," Kuon told him, "I promised…you'd know if…I was alive but in hiding," he said and Kuu smiled weakly. Kuon had said that and when they had had that discussion, Kuu had thought that he would have wanted to know Kuon wasn't dead and take care of him, now he was scared that he might not be able to do that last part.

 **End of Chapter Thirty Four**

 **Thank you for reading**

 **Thank you to** _EmmaLasagna, H-Nala, vprocks and paulagato_ **for reviewing Chapter Thirty Three**


	35. Chapter 35 - Hallucinations

**AN:** I actually got a spark of excitement working on this fic again and I've got some plans for it 😊 but I think I was motivated because of the reviews. Also, I'm super excited since it's my birthday on Saturday 😊

 **Chapter Thirty Five - Hallucinations**

Kuu kept his hand placed on Kuon's body gently. He looked at his son trying to clear away the shock so that he could think clearly. One of them had to calm down and it felt as if Kuon was on some kind of drug whether of his own taking or someone else's. Kuu couldn't figure it out. He had seen the photographs of the car, of the body with the blood down his head but the man he had just seen had obviously not been shot in the head.

"I'm sorry," Kuu apologized nervously as his hand spread over Kuon's chest. "I'm sorry, I need to just think about this," he said as he saw that the man he had his hand on was going into a panic attack. Was this really Kuon or was it a spy to hurt him? He had never seen Kuon this weak before.

"I'm sorry," the man apologized quickly as he closed his eyes, "I shouldn't have come in per-person, I should have phoned. I can't be here. They'll see you and -"

"They'll see me?" Kuu asked confused.

"I just can't stay here all right, I gave you my message and I have to - I have to go," he said panicked and Kuu tried to take deep breaths in. He was still trying to figure out what had happened and the shock that was going through his body.

"Where are you going?" Kuu asked him as he saw his son break free of his hold. "Ren," he said as he saw Kuon look back at him nervously, Kuu nodded. He had felt that was the best choice because saying his son's name out loud might set him off. "If you can't stay here, please be safe," he said not knowing what he could do. He placed the gun back into Kuon's pocket. "I wish you would stay."

"I can't stay, it's way too dangerous," Kuon replied. "Is she with someone else?" he asked and Kuu sighed knowing that he meant Kyoko.

"No, she's not with somebody else," Kuu tried to tell him and Kuon attempted to steady his breaths. "She's in the house right now, you can see her if -"

"There's no time just please do something for me," Kuon whispered.

"What is it, Ren?" Kuu said as he wanted to knock his son out and tie him up and demand an explanation but he wasn't even sure what his son had been through and whether he'd ever see him again.

"Please make sure that she's happy," he said before running off – a little clumsily – into the night and leaving Kuu there completely stunned. Something was going on and as much as he wanted to chase Kuon, get him onto the ground, demand an explanation, demand that he get medical attention, something within Kuu trusted that his son knew what was best for him.

Damn it

…

…

Kuu looked at the ramen that he was cooking over the stove. His mind kept going to various possibilities of what to do but the thought that he kept coming back to time and time again was that he should have made Kuon stay. His son was in trouble and he hadn't gone after him because he was still in shock that right at this time, he was alive. He was still alive, right?

Kuu started peeling vegetables as he watched the pot and heard footsteps into the kitchen. He looked up, not realizing how drained and pale he looked. Kyoko wasn't used to seeing his natural hair color, not many people were since he had dyed his hair to match with his wife and son.

"Kuu-sama?" Kyoko asked as she came over to him. "Can I help?"

"Sure, yeah…yeah, umm these vegetables need to be cut up," Kuu said as he gestured to some of the things that he had already peeled. Kyoko smiled as she picked up a knife, she tilted her head to the side. Something was wrong with him.

"Is everything okay?" she asked him, "You look as if you've seen a ghost."

"No, no, it's…it's not okay," Kuu said as he nervously stirred the pot. He should have taken him somewhere safe. Kuon couldn't face this by himself, Kuu had failed his son and now he had absolutely no idea where he was. He should have knocked him out, at least convinced him to let him and Julie check his body for any health risks. Instead he had lost track of him again.

"So, you haven't seen any ghosts?" Kyoko asked a little disappointed and Kuu bowed his head, his body starting to shake.

"I should have knocked that ghost out. Pulled that ghost back in here. Hidden the ghost in the attic," he said and Kyoko looked at him, she narrowed her view as she tried to pull the answer from him. Maybe he was just going into his grief again and talking about his regrets. "Let's just focus on you," Kuu said as he turned to Kyoko. "You just accepted a new acting assignment, right?"

"Yeah," Kyoko nodded, "They're doing some kind of Dark Moon reunion, though there were some parts that needed to be…recast," she whispered as a few tears ran down her cheeks.

"Do they know who is playing the role of Katsuki?" Kuu asked and Kyoko felt the knife stabbing her in the chest. She shook her head and put her hands on the counter.

"Why did he have to die?" she asked as her body shook and Kuu paused. His mind was turning over whether he should tell her the truth or not. Would she forgive him if she found out he lied to her?

"I don't know," he said looking at the water sadly, "Sometimes people just can't be with us any longer."

…

…

 _Kuu couldn't breathe. Even though it was a clear day around them he couldn't breathe. He had just seen photographs of his son and just that image of him with that gun shot wound in his head and the blood caking his head and hair was going to haunt him for the rest of his life. Maybe he shouldn't even be alive._

 _He didn't know what to do, who to call first. He didn't know how to explain this to Kyoko and he definitely didn't know how to tell Julie. He went back into the police station and his hands shook as he asked them to see the picture again. Feeling the bile rise into his throat, he pulled out his phone undetected and took a picture of his son in that state. Was it sick? Probably, but it might help him in the future._

 _He had failed his little boy but maybe he could make it up to him by taking revenge. As he finally got out of the station again and into the sunny day, his stomach couldn't take it and he vomited into a plant. Maybe he could pay for the damage but he couldn't help it. His little boy had died in such a painful way. He only hoped that the pain had been quick._

 _As Kuu staggered to his car and tried to calm himself enough to drive, he closed his eyes._

" _Daddy, I want to be an actor just like you," the memory of that little boy could be heard in his head. He had failed his son. If he had been a better father then Kuon would have never gotten involved in this gang lifestyle. He was supposed to have a bright and promising life._

 _Kuu didn't know how he was able to get home but as he unlocked the door, he saw his son's manager trying to figure out the paperwork from the day before whilst also trying to get in contact with Kuon. "He's not going to answer his phone," Kuu said as he placed a shaking hand on the documents. "Take the time you need but it might be in your best interests to go back to Japan," he said and Yashiro blinked at him._

" _Is Kuon okay?" he asked concerned and Kuu froze, he bowed his head and then shook it._

" _Kuon isn't with us any longer," he said as the pain stung him like a million bee stings. Yashiro stared at him confused. "The police wanted me to identify a photograph and I can tell you that it's Kuon," he said and Yashiro blinked still very confused._

" _Can I see it?" Yashiro asked and Kuu pulled out his phone._

" _It's pretty graphic," he said and Yashiro nodded, bracing himself. Kuu felt the tears in his eyes again as he loaded the picture on his phone and set it before Yashiro. The manager's body turned extremely pale as he took the phone and tears appeared in his eyes._

" _Thank you," Yashiro said trying to hold in his urge to puke, "for letting me know."_

…..

…..

"Kuu, darling?" Julie asked as Kuu started to serve up the meal. Kuu wasn't sure what to say to anyone and he felt terrible holding this information in for himself but he was starting to think that what had happened outside wasn't real. Maybe he should go back to the psychiatrist? Tell them that he was hallucinating again and that he had just imagined his son coming back extremely injured and that he had just let him escape.

It had to have been a dream, a hallucination and he didn't want Julie to worry. If he told her what he had just experienced she would be more troubled. They had to move forwards and maybe concentrate on Kyoko's work, on celebrating her birthday and Christmas the way that Kuon would have wanted it for them.

"Are you sure that you're okay?" she asked and Kuu looked at her.

"I think I'm going crazy," he said and Julie walked over to him, she wrapped her arms around him and let her head rest on his shoulder.

"Did you see him again?" she asked and Kuu nodded, "Maybe it might be best to ask for some of those antidepressants that you were offered. I think that you're just being triggered by Kyoko being here, you know that when you start to feel stress you start to see his ghost," she whispered before feeling the tears down her cheeks. "I wish that he had never come back here," she said and Kuu nodded. "He could have stayed in Japan as Ren and he would have been alive," she said and Kuu had to agree with that.

"It just…it felt so real this time," he said and Julie kissed his cheek.

"Can I say that I'm a little jealous of you," she said and Kuu looked at her sadly, "I really wish that I could see him the way that you do. I would tell him how much I love him. Wrap my arms around him and make sure that he's okay. I never even had the chance to say goodbye to him," she said before looking at Kuu. "So, he was in a car explosion, that's how he died?" she asked and Kuu felt his gut twist, he had never shown her the picture on his phone, he couldn't do that to her.

"Julie, I just wish that he wasn't dead. I feel like I failed him," Kuu sobbed and Julie wrapped her arms around him. She didn't know what to do because she felt the same. It was one thing knowing that he was in Japan but he wasn't in this realm any more. Still, her husband looked as if he had interacted with a ghost. She would do anything to be able to interact with Kuon and make sure he felt loved even if it was a hallucination in her own mind.

 **End of Chapter Thirty Five**

 **Thank you for reading**

 **Thank you to the reviewers of Chapter Thirty Four**

H-Nala, kotoko-98, ktoll9, paulagato


	36. Chapter 36 - Safety Procedures

**AN:** This is my last update for a little bit. I know I've been updating this story a lot today and yesterday, I will hold back on it for a little bit and work on some other stories but I'm glad I managed to write these chapters and I hope you've been enjoying them too.

 **Chapter Thirty Six – Safety Procedures**

"Are you okay, Kuu?" Julie asked the following morning as she saw her husband staring out of the window. She was worried about him since the last night. She had thought that he had stopped seeing these visions and hallucinations months ago but it had started up again last night. He was so distant with her when it involved Kuon but she didn't want to dream that he had really seen him, that he wasn't so dead as they had thought.

"How do you think a man goes into hiding?" Kuu asked and Julie watched him, her eyes filling with tears. Was he going delusional? He had told her that Kuon was absolutely dead and that the police had shown him evidence that proved it, now he was fantasizing again.

"Kuu, it's Christmas Eve," Julie whispered and then looked down as she tried to hold back her sobs. She could remember how cute Kuon was when he was a small child. He would talk about what had been on his letter to Santa and how he liked Kuu's cookies, and he would get excited to open his gifts. She could see that blond haired child and it broke her when she realized he would never get to experience that with his own kids.

"I know, I…maybe I need to go out on a walk or…clear my head," he said and Julie walked over to him.

"You barely slept," she said as she ran her fingers through his brown hair, she let a thumb brush around the stubble that was becoming a beard before wrapping her arms around him. He had tried to be so strong for her that she didn't know how to comfort him. He would usually not let his pain be known.

"I'm going to take that walk," Kuu said as he got up and Julie looked after him.

"Be back soon, okay?" she called out and Kuu nodded nervously. He'd spend the rest of the day with the two women he considered family but maybe he could sort out his thoughts if he took a walk. He wasn't sure whether the previous day had happened or not. Kuon was dead, that was what he had believed for six months. Kuon _had_ to be dead.

…

…

Kuu had taken a drive to where a small and lesser known beach was, he remembered how he had played with Kuon on these sands and how he had scooped the tiny boy up in a towel and heard that laughter. Despite his absence from his son's life, he truly did love him. He managed to take his shoes off and then noticed a bridge. He had always told Kuon to keep away from there because the homeless community lived there. Was that prejudice of him? Had he been prejudiced knowing that?

Fortunately he didn't have much of any value on him. As Kuu made his way under the bridge, he saw people who had set up little tents, people who had dogs for protection, and then his eyes locked onto someone wearing a cast-off black hoody sleeping on top of a dismantled cardboard box and wearing the same shoes he had seen before.

It couldn't be, right?

He crouched down, hearing a dog barking at him and looked at the scruffy Alsatian, he was less than a year old but he had a fighter's spirit. "Sir," he asked as he caught sight of other people looking at him. He was sure those were the same shoes.

As the man turned, he saw him pull back and Kuu felt hope in his heart. He saw the man back against the side of the bridge but his hoody fell back. He quickly grabbed it but Kuu was overjoyed that he had found him, that either he was in a coma or that all of this was real. "Hey, Ren," he said very softly.

"Hey…" Kuon whispered as he let his hand go through the Alsatian's fur. "Easy boy, easy," he told the dog and Kuu looked between them. Was this dog Kuon's? He could imagine Kuon having a dog for safety reasons but where was this dog the previous night?

"You want to have breakfast with me?" Kuu asked, his eyes concentrating on his son's and Kuon looked around nervously.

"Is that safe?" he whispered and Kuu nodded before he saw Kuon struggle to get up. He looked around and saw a garbage bag that had some clothes in it. "Is that yours?" he asked and Kuon nodded. Kuu immediately picked it up before seeing Kuon pick up the dog. "Come on," he whispered and Kuon followed him nervously. "How long have you been down here?"

"Maybe…maybe two weeks," he said, "I'm sorry. I really couldn't come earlier than last night," he whispered and Kuu nodded slowly. He still didn't understand what was happening but he wasn't going to let his son live on the street. They would have to figure something else out. "I'm hidden here, it's safe here," Kuon continued to himself and Kuu raised an eyebrow. "They think I'm dead."

"They…" Kuu said not wanting to scare the younger man off. He saw Kuon shudder, his eyes darting from side to side as if he were going to run off somewhere. "Okay, okay, you don't have to tell me. This is about getting you something to eat," he tried to assure him. "Do you know what today is?"

Kuon shook his head and shrugged, "November?" he asked and Kuu sighed.

"December 24th," he corrected him and Kuon paused in surprise. He followed Kuu silently back to the car and Kuu put the trashbag in the back. "Do you need anything for the dog?" he asked and Kuon shook his head. "He's not going to bite me is he?" Kuu asked and Kuon sighed.

"He very well might," he replied, "I'm really sorry," he said as his eyes kept darting back and forth again. "There's no one that followed you, right? We're safe. None of…" Kuon sighed and sat in the car, bowing his head so that Kuu couldn't see his face still. "I'm really sorry, Dad, I didn't know it was going to happen. I've probably disappointed everyone."

Kuu froze, "No, you haven't disappointed us," he said as he wanted to wrap his arms around him but he could see that that might hurt Kuon more than help him. He had been living on the streets for how long? It seemed a lot longer than two weeks.

"Rick," Kuon said edgily as he sat in the back seat with the dog over his lap. "I shouldn't have revealed his hiding place, he should have stayed in the shadows. I'm aware of that now," he said as his hand went over the dog's fur, comforting him. "Rick…he made a deal with this gang. He told them they could have me if they let him live," Kuon tried to explain and Kuu felt a spark of hate in him. "The gang's a lot bigger than here in LA and…and this is…I shouldn't be in the open."

"This is the type of life that Rick was living?" Kuu asked and Kuon gave a rather shaky nod. "It'll be all right, though, if you stay in the shadows. If they don't know that you're alive then…can't there be any kind of victim protection or something?" he asked and Kuon took slow breaths.

"I thought about that but going into those programs means giving up on a chance of anything else. Cutting myself off from my loved ones forever. I don't know if I can -" he said and then gestured to his face. "They tell me I'll have to look like somebody else with the use of plastic surgery, I wouldn't even look like me anymore."

"Do the surgery," Kuu said bluntly as Kuon looked at him confused, "Create that new life for yourself. I know how hard it is to think that but if it'll save your life then isn't it worth it?" he asked and Kuon froze. Was his dad serious? "Even if you have to be someone else, your mother and I will always consider you our son. We just want to know that you're alive."

Kuon shakily nodded, "Will you take me then?" he asked and Kuu closed his eyes.

"Yes," he agreed and Kuon cuddled the dog closer.

…

…

Kyoko smiled as she looked at holiday pictures of the Hizuris. It really showed in the photographs how much the family loved one another. Kyoko grinned as she saw a ten year old Kuon on the Christmas card, she didn't know why she hadn't seen the similarities before. He was Corn. She went to her bag and pulled out a popular fashion magazine showing both men's fashion and women's. She had done some posing and modelling for different brands but what she wanted to show Julie most was a memorial picture on the second page of the magazine for Kuon since he had been an R. Mandy model for so long.

Kyoko looked up at Julie who was tearing up as she saw the Christmas picture that Kyoko had just been looking at. "Julie-san, are you-is there anything that I can help with?" she asked and Julie shook her head. Kyoko knew this feeling, the want to be with someone that you couldn't have.

"Can I show you something?" Kyoko asked and Julie nodded not able to say anything through her tears.

"What is it?" she asked as she approached Kyoko and Kyoko showed her the picture of Kuon in the magazine. Soon the tears were sparkling in her eyes and she wrapped an arm around herself scared of the pain that seeing that brought. "He looks so gorgeous," she whispered.

"I think he would have felt honored to be so well-remembered," Kyoko said as she looked at some of the pictures of her modelling. She had been Kuon's girlfriend for such a short amount of time. She should have realized he was Corn sooner, who knew how much time they would have spent together if she had.

As they were looking through the magazine, Julie heard her phone ring and she excused herself from the activity to pick it up. "Kuu, are you…"

"He's alive, Julie. I'm not kidding. We're at the Hilton and Boss is going to come. There's a lot to explain," he told her and Julie froze. Had her husband completely lost it? She excused herself from the room, not wanting to embarrass her husband further.

"Kuu, it's not him. If you're with somebody it has to be some random fan but fine, what's the room number?" she asked him before hearing someone else on the phone.

"H—Hi Mo-mom, I'm so sorry tha—I'm sorry," he whispered and Julie felt her heart soar. This was his voice but soon her husband was on the line again.

"Julie, ask at the front desk. I'm sure your phone hasn't been compromised but ask at the front desk for the room number, I'll let them know and Julie, please don't tell Kyoko any of this. I'll explain everything when I see you," he told her before hanging up the phone.

Julie stared at the phone once again before making her way into the living room where Kyoko was. She sighed before pointing at her, "I want you to come with me," she said and Kyoko blinked in surprise, "either my husband has gone completely insane in which case you can help or…or a miracle has happened and Kuon is alive."

 **End of Chapter Thirty Six**

 **Thank you for reading**

 **Thank you to** ktoll9 **for reviewing Chapter Thirty Five**


	37. Chapter 37 - Avoidance

**AN:** So, I promised you guys that I was going to try to take a break and writer other things but I kept thinking about this fic all of last night so I guess I wanted to write it. Also, it got some reviews on the last chapter which made it kind of impossible for me not to read this one.

 **Chapter Thirty Seven - Avoidance**

"Julie?" Kyoko asked as she followed the woman to the hotel room that the front desk had given to her, "I'm not sure that I understand," she admitted having seen the picture of Kuon covered in blood. She didn't know how Kuon would have survived that.

"I don't think that I understand either," Julie admitted as they reached the room. She took a deep breath before knocking and heard a dog bark but that noise was slowly muffled. There was a dog here? Was this some kind of a trap? They didn't have a dog. Kyoko looked confused at the sound as well but as they stood there, the two of them could hear the door be unbolted.

As Kuu opened the door, he looked at Kyoko in shock.

"I thought I said not to tell Kyoko," he said as they could hear movement from behind Kuu. Kyoko looked a little surprised to hear that, her anxiety rising.

"Nonsense," Julie said as she waved the thought away. "As if Kyoko shouldn't know, as if she'd pose any type of a threat to the situation. Now, where is my baby?" she asked and Kuu let them in. Julie rushed to the bedroom and froze as she saw her son, with the hood of his jacket down with his hand upon a German Shepherd puppy only a few months old. She felt the tears slip down her cheeks. He looked so injured but he was alive. She took a few steps towards him but was knocked back as Kyoko ran over to him, tears flowing down her cheeks.

"Corn," she whispered as she wrapped her arms around him, starting to dampen his shirt with her tears.

The dog growled at her but she saw Kuon reach out for him or her, whispering that it was okay and to stand down. Kyoko didn't care though, she had her arms around her boyfriend…ex-boyfriend? She just needed to hold onto him like he was the only way she could survive.

"Easy Cain, stand down boy," Kuon commanded the dog before the dog lay down on the floor and Kuon wrapped his arms around Kyoko. He still loved her so much. "You're here. It might not be safe for you to be he-"

Kyoko kissed him before he could say anything else, "I wished for this to happen. I wanted this to happen so much," she said as she took him in. She could see the scars, the pain, the broken nose but this was Kuon, he was here in front of her. "Thank you," she whispered as if to no one.

"Darling," Julie sobbed as she looked at her son, she had thought him dead for six months and now he was in front of her. She wanted to call for medical treatment but felt that it would disturb the situation. She was trying to recall the little amount of medical knowledge she had off hand. "We thought we'd lost you."

"I'm sorry," Kuon apologized sadly, "I've had to travel from New York undetected. I was scared that the phone lines were bugged, that people had gotten hurt. It took forever to get back here," he said with his head dropped and Kyoko let her fingers brush through his messy hair. It must have taken him weeks to travel across the country. He could have called them but she understood why he felt he needed to do it in person.

"I love you," Kyoko said again as she held onto him, her messy tears sparkling in her eyes. "I was so scared when you didn't come back. I'm so sorry that I'm so weak but I…I love you. I love you so so much," she told him as she closed her eyes and let her tears flow more. "I wished to the fairy kingdom that you'd come back to me. I don't want to leave you. Please don't force me to leave you again."

"Kyoko," Kuon said sadly, "I have to go into hiding until this gang is brought down, they think I'm dead but if I'm spotted then there's some serious trouble," he told her and Kyoko nodded sadly. "I'm not going to ask you to -"

"I'll quit acting, we can go together," she told him and Kuon stared at her confused.

"You're willing to go into hiding with me?" he asked her, "We're not going to be able to be Kuon Hizuri and Kyoko Mogami. I'd have to change dramatically if I do this and I'm not going to abandon Cain. I've known him since he was a puppy."

"I'm fine with that," Kyoko told him as she looked down, "as long as I don't lose you again. I'm fine with that. I love you so much, Kuon."

"I might look completely different," he attempted to explain to her and Kyoko shook her head. She didn't care because inside she would know who he was. It didn't matter what he looked like. He was her boyfriend, her precious sempai, her fairy prince.

"You won't be my son anymore?" Julie asked painfully and Kuon looked at her.

"Not whilst I'm in character but I'm always going to be your son. I'm always going to be proud to be your son. Rick just put a price on my head or he gave them a better deal, the information on me rather than on him. He's able to live a normal life whilst I'm in hiding because if I'm not in hiding, I'm at risk of being assassinated."

Kyoko stared at him in horror, her jaw dropping and she threw her arms around him, clutching him even more. She didn't know what to say, all that she knew was that she wanted to be with him. Even if she had to sleep on the street with him, she would be at his side and she wouldn't lose him again. He was the most important part of her life and it took losing him for her to see that.

"Cain," Kuon said as he turned his attention to the dog, "Safe, Kyoko's safe, my parents are safe. Cain, heel boy," he told the puppy and Cain whined as he continued to lay on the floor. Kuon had trained him for defense and was a little worried he'd attack Kyoko because she was tightly holding him.

"Cain Heel?" she asked him and Kuon nodded. "I like that."

Julie looked at Kuu, "Aside from the scars on your face," she said as she turned back to Kuon, "Let's hear what the kidnapper has to say. There might be something better that we can do rather than something so drastic and permanent. I mean, you'd one day like to go back to acting in Japan, right?" she asked and Kuon nodded. "I'm sure that the kidnapper will think of something."

…

…

 _Kyoko was a little confused how the president had stressed that she come into the office late in the evening. He had apologized if he had done anything to keep her from her work but he had to show her a photograph. She had been hesitant but she didn't feel she had any place to say no._

 _So, here she was, sitting across from him and she hadn't seen him so pale or upset before. He was wearing a suit which was also strange, usually he would be wearing one of his costumes. Kyoko leaned in towards him, not knowing what to expect._

" _Kyoko," the president said with a mournful sigh, "Have you been in contact with the Hizuris in the past…let's say six hours?" he asked and Kyoko shook her head. She had tried calling Kuon but it had been the early morning and maybe he had taken Julie's suggestion and turned his phone off so that he could get some rest. "Kuon was murdered," he told her and Kyoko paused._

 _Did she hear those words right? This didn't happen. She wasn't in that kind of life where her boyfriend would be killed. No, she hadn't heard that, she refused to believe it._

" _What?" she asked as she saw tears in his eyes. "What are you?"_

" _Kuu called me," he explained to her and Kyoko blinked confused, "I'm sorry but when I asked for proof, well the evidence is chilling but it's conclusive," he said and Kyoko looked even more confused. The evidence? She felt her body tighten. Kuon wasn't dead, she'd have felt that loss of connection if he were dead. She stared at him and the president took out a printed document. Kyoko blinked._

" _The picture is quite graphic," he told her, "I only want you to look at it if you feel that you can handl-"_

 _Kyoko stretched her hand out to take it and as she turned it over it was as if all life had left her. She was seeing her boyfriend after he had died. She stared at it for a moment longer before handing it back. She felt terrified inside. She should have known that something was wrong. She closed her eyes before she felt everything inside her vanish and she lost consciousness. It would take months of crying for her to start to move on. He was her precious Corn after all._

…..

…..

"I've grabbed some pajamas," Julie said as she stood at the front desk trying hard not to be seen. She had heard that the president would arrive soon and wanted to go with him so as not to cause anyone to think that Kuon was being hidden at the hotel. She could say that she was on a date with Kuu but they would have booked a room in a more exclusive hotel. She was glad then when she saw the president disguised as a tourist.

"Julie," he said as he gestured to the man beside him that Julie had come to know well. "Come," he gestured and Julie smiled to Ruto. He knew that this was an extra safety precaution Lory had with him and she managed to sneak between the men.

"Julie?" Kuu answered back on the phone.

"I'm with Lory," Julie whispered as she hung up the phone and Kuu gave a sigh of relief. Julie had just wanted to get Kuon into some warm and new clothes but the risks were getting bigger. She felt that she should be disguising herself. "I'll see you in a moment," she said as she hung up the phone and looked at the LME president. "You came fast," she said and he nodded.

"Private plane," he told her without expressing any emotion on his face. Julie fell silent as she showed them the way to the hotel room. She froze as she saw that the other man in the elevator was staring at her and that there was a bulge in his pocket where his hand was. Her breath shallowed and she took a step closer to Lory who nodded to Ruto.

Without saying a word, Ruto managed to punch the guy without even looking at him and then, using the shock from the strike, removed the gun and then threw a few more moves as he disabled the man. He passed the gun to Lory as Julie started shaking. Their location had been compromised. She tried hard to calm herself before she had a panic attack. Did they know he was alive?

"I believe these are false documents," Ruto commented as he handed a wallet to Lory who looked through it.

"I've asked for some security to meet us at a secret location," Lory told Julie before seeing a man on the floor they stopped at with another gun. He blinked as Ruto managed to immobilize them. "We should move quickly, cover any hint of a trail but first I'd like to see him," he said and Julie nodded as she stared at the man.

Yes, they had put him in danger by keeping him in one location for so long. Was he really that much of a threat to them? Wasn't this just a grudge? Who would employ this much man power over a grudge?

 **End of Chapter Thirty Seven**

 **Thank you for reading**

 **Thank you so much to the reviewers of Chapter Thirty Six**

Grayladywoolf, Guineapigs1, H-Nala, Kaname671, ktoll9, paulagato


	38. Chapter 38 - Yuusei Hozu

**AN:** Hope you enjoy, thanks for your patience, the action from the last chapter will probably be a flashback in the next chapter 😊

 **Chapter Thirty Eight – Yuusei Hozu**

Kuon sat opposite the president in the armored car in the secret location. He knew he still needed some medical help but they had to find some other way to get him this help because things were getting to be too dangerous for him. There were still options though and Lory had found a safe area for Kuon but under another name and in disguise, hopefully it wasn't somewhere he could be found.

A number of years ago, Kuu's parents had moved from Kyoto and relocated in Hawaii. For years Kuu's mother had been living in Japan whilst being an American but when Kuu's father had retired from his job, the two had decided to retire in Hawaii. That hadn't lasted very long and they each had started a small business on the island.

That was apparently the safest place for Kuon right now but he would have to pretend to be somebody else whilst the police made sure to track the guys down who had ended Rick's life and then done the same for Kuon. Kuon was taking in this information. It hurt him that he couldn't do anything but if this was the best way of helping everyone and of gaining his protection, it wasn't too hard of a decision to make.

"I'll do it. I'll leave tomorrow," he told him and Lory frowned.

"There's a medic that I know there," he said because of course Lory knew people everywhere. It was the type of convenience that would sometimes be too easy of a plot device. "I want him to take a look at your injuries but then I'll make sure to set something up for you. Just stay under cover for right now. Not even your grandparents should know who you are," he said although he planned to tell Shuuhei something different.

Kuon bowed his head and his body shivered as he was ready to take on his new life. He looked out the car and in the direction of the building that Kyoko was in. "Can I…"

"If you write her a letter then I'll make sure that she gets it," the president tried to assure him and Kuon sighed. That would have to be enough for now.

…

…

Yuusei Hozu looked out at the ocean longingly. He felt that for the past two weeks he had been separated completely from his loved ones. He hadn't even been able to celebrate Kyoko's birthday with her because they had thought that he would be safer if he started his new life that day. He wasn't worried about his own personal safety, it was Kyoko's safety, his parents' safety that made him consider doing something so drastic.

He had started working as a fisherman, working on small boats that a friend of his grandfather's owned. It had taken him a little bit to understand it but he had picked it up quickly and it was actually starting to be enjoyable. His grandparents owned a small bed and breakfast near the Maui coast where he was staying. The nice thing was that it was absolutely beautiful.

Yuusei took another look at the ocean as Cain ran out into the waves.

Yuusei had messy dark blond hair and wore Clark Kent style glasses. He wore a basic t-shirt and jeans. Behind the glasses were a pair of dark blue color contacts and he also had a scruffy beard. Somehow the president had made it so that he looked nothing like either Kuon Hizuri or Ren Tsuruga.

Yuusei was about to head back to the bed and breakfast when he heard a sound of footsteps coming towards him. He instantly put himself on guard but looked up to see a girl with long blond hair, sandals, and a summer dress and hat coming towards him with a coconut drink. "Cain," he tried to tell the dog, "Stand down, can I help you, miss?" he asked as he gently pet Cain on the head.

"Maybe," the girl smiled as she pulled off her sunglasses to show her amber eyes and Yuusei felt a rush of joy spread through him. "You want to join me for a drink?" she asked in English and Yuusei walked over to her. He placed a hand on her cheek and then lent down, kissing her passionately on the lips.

"Are you of legal age, miss?" he asked as his eyes shone with disbelief. She reached up to him and kissed him on the lips, burying her head into his chest.

"You didn't stay for my birthday," she told him and he gently stroked her hair behind her ears. He kissed her forehead and Kyoko hummed as she reached out for Cain who had stopped trying to guard Kuon. She put her arms around his upper chest and Kuon lifted her, he closed his eyes. At least he had what really mattered.

"I'll have to make up for that then," Yuusei grinned to her before placing her down. Did this mean that she had decided to take the risk so that they could be together? He didn't want to think too much of this. Maybe she was only here so she could give him a proper goodbye. "Are you happy that you're here?" he asked her as she handed him the coconut drink. He took a sip of it, it was honestly much nicer than the one they had shared in Guam.

"I want to tell you the reason that I'm here," Kyoko said and Yuusei nodded, he took a deep breath to steady himself.

"I'm here because I miss you. I think I _have_ to go back and finish my acting jobs but being without you, not knowing if you're okay, is it possible that I don't have to leave you, that we can be together?" Kyoko asked as Kuon took a step back in shock. Was she really willing to give up so much just for them to be together?

"I want you to do whatever makes you happiest," he told her and Kyoko looked at him, her conviction and beliefs not leaving her.

"Then I'll come, in a month or so, I'll come so don't fall in love with anyone else," she said as she bowed her head, a little embarrassed about how much her love for him outweighed everything else.

"Of course not," he shook his head, "Knowing that I'm waiting on you is all I need."

…

…

Yuusei smiled at Kyoko as he sat at the top of a hill with her and they watched out at the sunset. He knew that what he was going to talk to Kyoko about was going to be difficult for her, maybe it was too early to do it and he could always scare her off but he wanted to do this with her. Maybe he was a crazy fool but sometimes it was worth it to be crazy.

Kuon closed his eyes and took out his contacts, putting them in a case and placing his glasses case where he was sitting. He got in front of her and took her hand as Kyoko stared at him. She stared at him unsure what he was doing. That was until he had gotten down on one knee and opened a ring box that had a beautiful ring with a "Corn-style" jewel in it. Kyoko stared at him wide eyed. She hadn't been expecting this.

"Kyoko," he said gently as she nodded nervously, "I know this might be crazy, there's so many things that we don't know about but I'd love to have the honor of becoming your prince. I am willing to be as patient as you'd like for me to be. I just want to promise you that I'll wait for you, that I'll continue loving you, and that one day in the future we can be the two of us together. As for now, Kyoko, I want to ask you for the honor of your hand and the honor to be your husband. Kyoko, I know it's fast but would you marry me?" he asked and was surprised when she started nodding, tears flowing down her cheeks.

"I will, Corn," she whispered as she nodded her head and threw her arms around him.

She hated being so weak when there was love involved but she had gone through painful moments where she believed that he had died, she didn't want to lose him again. He had also said that though they were engaged, they wouldn't need to get married straight away, that she could take her time. That meant that no matter how far apart they were, they belonged to each other.

She had all intentions of being Kuon Hizuri's wife.

She had all intentions of being _Kuon Hizuri's_ wife.

…

…

Kyoko sat opposite the president with a flower in her hair, shell necklace, and the box in front of her. The president had found out about her planned trip before she had left and was responsible for preparing a safe travel and the disguise. He definitely hadn't been planning on what Kuon had done whilst Kyoko was visiting him. Kyoko looked down at the ring box and she looked at the president nervously.

"He proposed and I said yes," Kyoko told him and the president sighed. "I wanted to ask you for a favor."

"I expect that you want to quit acting and go and get married," the president sighed and Kyoko raised an eyebrow as she looked at him and then stared down once he caught her studying his behavior. "If you're that serious about it then I can't stop you but give me a few months, maybe six months and he can probably return to Japan as Kuon Hizuri," he said and Kyoko smiled softly.

"I wasn't going to marry him until that got sorted out but I think I'm confident in the idea of marrying him. I don't think that he'd hurt me and I know that he'd support my dreams. I still plan on having an independent life but I think that it wouldn't hurt to have someone I love supporting me with that," Kyoko told him and the president nodded slowly.

"Well, it doesn't seem that you need my help in accepting the proposal," he commented before looking at the box. "What was the favor your wanted to ask me in that case? I am able to officiate the wedding if needed," he said and Kyoko shook her head. She handed over the ring box nervously.

"Could you please take care of that? I'm worried that if someone sees it they may ask questions and then someone will be able to locate where he is. I do plan on joining him but I don't want to give him away whilst I'm working on our plan," she said honestly and the president nodded. Kyoko held tight to the shell on her necklace, a necklace that 'Yuusei' had bought for her.

"How is Hozu-san?" Lory asked as he leaned forwards and Kyoko placed a hand on her heart.

"I think he misses his old lives but he's good, he's healthy, he's alive, he enjoys doing manual labor which is good. As long as he's safe then it's okay. I just never want to think that he is gone from our lives. As stupid as it is, as unwilling as I am to believe it, I want to be loved by him and I know I can return to acting but I can't get him back if I lose him. I'm becoming one of those stupid foolish women by choice and I trust that you'll be able to bring him home as well.

The president sighed, he was proud of the way that Kyoko's character had changed. She was a different character because she had gone through different events than were written in the original work and you needed to write character change and development like that. Still, he hoped that Kuon and Kyoko would have a happy ending without the need of sacrifice.

 **End of Chapter Thirty Eight**

 **Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated**

 **Thank you to reviewers of Chapter Thirty Seven**

EmmaLasagna, Guest, H-Nala, Kaname671, kotoko-98, ktoll9, Paulagato

 **AN2:**

Thanks for all the support. There will be a plan of getting the two of them together but there's a lot of danger for Kuon. I hope you liked my idea. I know that Kuu is half-Japanese, half-American, so I thought that having his parents in Hawaii was a good compromise for them. I hope to have more scenes with Kuon and what I imagine his food-loving grandparents to be like.


	39. Chapter 39 - Sunsets and Moonlight

AN: Thanks for your patience with the update, hope I answered some of the questions that people had

 **Chapter Thirty Nine – Sunset and Moonlight**

Yuusei stared at the sunset once again. Despite having Kyoko say yes to the proposal, he still felt completely alone. Maybe he should have had that plastic surgery on his face, become someone new that glasses and facial hair couldn't disguise. He closed his eyes as he returned back to the Hizuri residence. Maybe he could pick up a few extra jobs, things of that nature.

As he returned, he saw his grandmother rush out. "Yuusei, honey," she said as she put a hand to his shoulder and Yuusei nodded, missing the times when he was Kuon Hizuri or even Ren Tsuruga. "We've got a visitor. You should meet him, he might be a good connection for you to know."

"Sure," Yuusei nodded as he let the woman grab him and pull him to the outside area where there was a fire pit and they would sometimes eat. Yuusei's eyes widened as he saw the visitor in question and he smiled slightly, trying to look as if this man was someone entirely new but they both knew who the other one was.

"This is our son, Kuu," she said and Yuusei bowed deeply, sharing a connection in their eyes. Inside Kuon was thrilled to see his father but he didn't want to risk exposing himself and putting anyone else in danger. He watched as Cain went over to his father and sniffed him.

"It's very nice to meet you, sir," he said and Kuu held out his hand.

"Pleasure's all mine," he winked. He looked around and inside Kuon felt relieved to see him. His father was someone he would always be happy to see and maybe it wasn't the best way to stay disguised but it was refreshing to see what his dad would risk to know that he was safe. "I was wanting to meet with you. I've heard that you like walks by the beach, maybe you know some good spots around here."

"I, well none as good as you know, I'm sure," Yuusei said nervously but Kuon's grandfather grinned to the two of them and nodded his head.

"I think that it would be best for you two to take this walk," he said and Yuusei felt a little uncomfortable as he looked between the two family members.

"Are you sure that you're okay with me taking this walk with your son?" he asked and his grandmother looked at him.

"It's okay, Kuon, you're my grandson," she said and Yuusei took a step back in shock. How did she know who he was? "Spend some time with your father."

"Did he…" Kuon asked, "How do you…"

"The last time that we visited was when you were fourteen," his grandmother said as she turned to him. "Then your disappearance happened and we were worried about you but your mother and father assured us that you were okay. Then we were watching an interview and it was obvious to both of us that you and Ren were the same person. When you turned up here, the same similarities could be seen but we know that you're in trouble."

"We would never turn away our own grandson if he was in trouble and the fact that you wanted to lie to us shows that you must be in some deep amount of trouble. We'd prefer you to be here pretending to be somebody else than risk your exposure and I take it that's why you're not with your parents." Kuon's grandfather told him and the man blinked in surprise.

They had known everything. They had known that he was Ren Tsuruga and they had never told anyone, they had never wanted to risk his identity? In a way he felt lucky that not only did his parents support him but his grandparents as well. They were even trying to keep him okay as Yuusei. He smiled before closing his eyes.

"Thank you," he told them honestly and they both nodded, accepting his deep gratitude.

…

…

Kyoko attempted to get away from Sho as fast as possible as he followed her down the street outside the TBM studio. She was sick of this. She wanted to just turn around and yell at him that he was a gigantic creep and pervert for not leaving her alone but that might damage her own reputation. Instead she was just attempting to get away from him. She froze, coming to a halt as she saw him in front of her. How had he been able to do that, when did he pass her?

"You look as if you have a problem," he told her and Kyoko raised an eyebrow.

"Really? What gives you that impression?" she asked giving a deadpan delivery.

He lifted his chin up, his expression turning narcissistic. "It's just one of my gifts, one of my many gifts. I can tell when ladies have problems and then I soothe them, relieving them of their insecurities. It's something that I've developed in the past few years."

"I'm shocked," Kyoko said as she gave a slow and sarcastic clap.

"So, what's your problem?" he asked, "I can tell that you have one."

"Great work," Kyoko said before frowning. "I do have a problem. A gigantic insect right in front of me, one with too much arrogance and too few brains and I think its name is Sho Fuwa," she said as she turned to opposite way but Sho put a hand on her shoulder. "Let me go," Kyoko said as she pulled away violently and then glared at him. "Let me go before I tell everyone your real name."

"At least it's not some sissy name like Kuon," he said and Kyoko raised an eyebrow. She shook her head. She should just leave him, he was only embarrassing himself and she didn't want to waste any more time on him. She wanted to contact Yuusei and go to his side but that was impossible. She wanted to be with her fiancé but she didn't want for him to be caught and tracked down by those men who wanted him dead.

"Kuon _isn't_ a sissy name. In fact, because of Kuon, a lot of people are now using that for the name of their children," she said before crossing her arms. "You'll never match up to who he is anyway."

"You mean who he was," Sho laughed, "I mean, maybe it's bad humor to joke about but the guy's deceased, he's more of a has been than a living being," he said and then saw Kyoko pale. Maybe he had gone too far. He didn't want anyone close to him to die and he was now taunting a dead guy just to make a point. He was better than that.

"Don't talk about things that you know nothing about," Kyoko said and Sho stared at her in shock, he blinked. She wasn't talking about him as if he were dead anymore, this wasn't like the last time he had talked to her about the death of that arrogant actor.

"He's alive?" Sho asked and Kyoko glared at him.

"I didn't say that," she said but Sho leaned in closer to her.

"He's alive, isn't he?" he asked and Kyoko stared at him. She blinked nervously before biting her lip. She shifted and Sho was able to read her body language. So, this was a huge con, a scam on the Japanese public. This would definitely ruin his reputation for sure and that would make it easier for him to be the top male idol in Japan. "I mean, even for that guy, that's a little insensitive."

"You don't know anything," Kyoko said desperately, "I didn't say anything like that. Please don't spread this, I'll do whatever you want but please do—"

"Break up with him," Sho said and Kyoko shook her head.

"Anything but that," she told him as she looked down, "Nothing that hurts him," she admitted and Sho looked around. He didn't want for her to start crying and for him to be blamed for it. He sighed and looked at her, "Nothing that will hurt him," she said and Sho shrugged.

"Forget it," he said and Kyoko looked after his desperately. He wasn't going to tell the Japanese public that Kuon was alive, right? They didn't need to find him. Maybe him being with his grandparents was still too close for comfort.

…

…

"So," Kuu asked as he walked with his son down the beach, "How are things going for you? Have you thought about any plans either as Yuusei or Kuon?" he asked and Yuusei shook his head. He grinned at Kuu, glad to have his father there with him. He knew that Kuu wanted the best for him and maybe this was all that he could hope for.

"I don't know if I should get plastic surgery," he admitted and Kuu frowned.

"You know that I think it's better for you not to do so. Boss is working on getting the gang uncovered and incarcerated. If that happens then you can come back as Kuon Hizuri or even try to work under the name Ren Tsuruga again but you need to keep your features the same if you ever want to take back your life." Kuu advised. He looked out at the way the moonlight hit the ocean. "It's beautiful here."

"It would be even more beautiful with her beside me," Yuusei said honestly before smiling to his father, "Did she tell you that we're engaged?" he asked and Kuu opened his mouth, his eyes showing his surprise when his son told him that. He hadn't have thought that she would have agreed with something like that given the circumstances.

"Is she okay with that?" Kuu asked, "the plastic surgery?"

"I want to keep us safe. I think she feels the same way but that's another reason why I don't want to change like that. I know that she's willing to marry me and for me to stay Yuusei but I think that changing my appearance might be too much for her. We won't be getting married or making the engagement public for a while but I thought you should know," he told Kuu and Kuu wrapped his arms around him in a Papa bear style hug.

"You need anything, you get in contact with me, okay?" he asked and Yuusei nodded. "You're still my little boy," he assured Kuon and the man looked around nervously. He didn't want any of his loved ones to be targeted but it seemed to be safe right now.

"Dad," Yuusei whispered, "You'll help her, right? I can't have much contact with her but you'll make sure that she knows that I'm always thinking about her."

"I promise you that I will," Kuu said before looking around. He missed being with his son in public whilst Kuon was actually Kuon but he would take whatever he could get and exploring Hawaii was definitely something he had done with his son when Kuon was still a child. "I'm happy that you're alive," he commented and Yuusei nodded.

"Be happier about me _staying_ alive," he said bringing home the point that even if things seemed okay now, things might not be okay forever.

Kuon wasn't aware that back in Japan there could be cause for more concern especially with his once-rival knowing the truth about him being alive. Hopefully things wouldn't turn too bad as the days passed and the moonlight reflected off of the ocean.

 **End of Chapter Thirty Nine**

 **Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated**

 **(yes I type that out every time, not just copy and paste it**

 **Thank you to the reviewers of Chapter Thirty Eight**

Brennakai, Guest, Guineapigs1, Kaname671, kotoko-98, PaulaGaTo

 **Author Response:**

A lot of questions will be answered as the characters reflect on their choices including the question of where they will end up in the future and the danger hasn't all gone. The sacrifice line last chapter wasn't physical or at least it wasn't initially intended to be referring to physical sacrifice 😉


	40. Chapter 40 - Private Phone Call

**AN: I've been attempting to update every 10** **th** **day of the month but got excited and updated early, hope you enjoy**

 **Chapter Forty – Private Phone Call**

Kuu looked at his son, watching him with both protection and interest. Only months ago, he had believed that Kuon had died in a painful murder and now he was standing here with his son, overlooking the sun going down over the ocean. Kuu put a hand on his son's shoulder as he saw him blink behind his glasses.

"I'm working on getting you back," he tried to tell Kuon who nodded, "Boss is working on it too and I know how creative Boss can be but he's also very effective. There are so many people who care about you…Yuusei," he told him and Yuusei nodded trying to get used to hearing that name come out his father's mouth.

"How's Mom doing?" Yuusei asked as he looked around to make sure that nobody was eavesdropping on their conversation. Kuu sighed and stretched his arms out.

"A little bitter and angry the last time that I saw her," Kuu commented honestly and Yuusei turned to him sadly. He looked down guiltily. If he hadn't been in such danger then he would have been able to have open communication with his parents. They were hurting because only a short time ago it had seemed that he had been viciously murdered. Despite that not being the case, Kuon still knew how hurt they must have been. He would have felt a wound if something had happened to either one of them.

"Dad, there _is_ a way to make sure that everyone is safe," Kuon said painfully and then bowed his head. Kuu immediately placed a hand on his son's shoulder. He had an idea of what Kuon was about to say and he didn't want to hear it. He wanted to see his son stronger and not ready to give up on himself. His son's death and sacrifice was not an option.

"No," Kuu shook his head, only that one word being what exited his mouth. "No. I won't let you do that," he said and Kuon shook his head. Death was probably the easiest option but it was the most painful and damaging. _If_ he died then that would be nothing like getting plastic surgery and entering victim protection. He would never get a second chance if he killed himself.

"I didn't mean dying," he sighed, "If I give myself over, become a low ranking, the lowest ranking part of their organization or at least offer it then they might spare my life and they'll definitely lose interest in my loved ones. It'd be something that I hate to do and I'd risk even more if I ever left but it _is_ an option.

"Not a very good option," Kuu protested and Yuusei smiled.

"You're right. I wouldn't be able to marry Kyoko if I did that. Everyone is safe enough with me here, right?" Yuusei inquired and Kuu nodded as his eyes still shone with his honesty to the situation. He did fear for his son. If only there was a way of fixing this.

"I brought a second cellphone," Kuu told him and Yuusei looked at him confused. What was that supposed to mean? If he continually used the same number then they would probably find a way to bug the phone or at least trace the location of the call. "You haven't been able to speak to her, right?" he asked and Yuusei smiled. He had sent letters and the occasional email disguised as spam but hearing Kyoko's voice was a treat for him. He took the phone and hoped that she would answer.

"I'll be back in a little bit," he said before going towards a rocky area, a small cave that not many people knew about. He would call Kyoko there – given if there was cell coverage – and hope that he could contact the woman that he adored, the woman he planned to spend the rest of an ordinary life with once this certain situation had resolved itself.

…

…

Kyoko had been appearing on Kimagure Rock that afternoon for an interview. It wasn't something that she had to be Bo for anymore, they actually wanted to interview _her_. It was nice to be around the Ishibashi guys, they were all such kind and hard-working people.

"It's good to see you smiling again," Hikaru told her as they sat eating the strange snack that Kyoko was scared would make her gain far too many calories. Just looking at the food item made her feel that she was gaining weight and was going to balloon outwards. However, the guys seemed to enjoy it. Hikaru had also become a good friend to her. Kyoko knew that Hikaru was attracted to her but she had told him that she was still loyal to Kuon's memory and he had understood that.

"I feel a little bit better," Kyoko nodded although she looked into the distance, "I still really miss him. Some days are harder than others."

"Ren was always said to be a really good guy," Hikaru told her and Kyoko laughed softly before nodding. She was happy that people remembered the positives about Kuon and treated his work and his spirit with respect. She wished that when he was finally able to return, people wouldn't be too hasty with their judgements of him. In all honesty, Kuon hadn't wanted to mislead people and make them believe in his death, he'd rather be here. Hopefully people would understand that in the future.

"Thank you," Kyoko nodded before hearing her phone ring. She grabbed the phone before seeing that it was an unknown and withheld number. She felt her chest tighten slightly as she thought about all of the times when she had answered a call like this. She needed to at least hope that he was calling her though and if that was the case, he wouldn't have bought a cellphone with the name registered to it being Kuon.

"Hello, Mogami speaking," she said and heard a soft and familiar exhale, "Yuusei-kun?" she asked as she blushed a little and cupped the phone to her cheek with the expression of a woman in love. Hikaru dropped the bun and stared at her, mouthing the name.

"Surprised?" Yuusei asked from the other end of the line and Kyoko giggled a little.

"Yuusei-kun," she said as Hikaru looked at her in horror. "I'm sorry, Hikaru-san, I'm going to take this call in the next room," she pointed and Hikaru nodded. He continued to repeat the name though Kyoko hadn't connected the dots yet. "I'm good to hear from you. Are you okay? You're not hurt or anything are you?"

"Kuu Hizuri came to visit his parents," Yuusei told her and Kyoko took a relieved breath in as she heard this. Kuon had been trying to hide out with his grandparents and visiting his parents was a very good reason for Kuu being there. It was nice to know that even though he was so far away from everyone, he had support. "Apparently they knew the secret."

"Ah, his parents, you mean?" Kyoko asked and Yuusei chuckled.

"Exactly," he replied, "and it turns out that his parents were supporters of Ren Tsuruga as well," Kyoko laughed, "They're going to give me a safe room and board, me and Cain."

"How is Cain doing? Is he settling in okay?" Kyoko continued to ask, putting a hand to her heart. She knew how incredibly important the dog was to Kuon. Cain had been his companion for such a long time and had been through some of the toughest moments of Kuon's life with him. Despite not being human, Cain had supported Kuon and Kuon had taken care of him as if his own child. When Kuon finally came back as himself, Kyoko wanted to spend time with the two of them. Hopefully Cain wouldn't turn cold towards her.

"Cain really enjoys the island," Yuusie commented, "how about you? How are you doing?"

"I miss you," Kyoko whispered. "I want to know when you can come back and we're all trying our hardest to help. I'm concentrating on work but that doesn't mean that I don't miss you," she said before trying to hide a sob that she wasn't expecting to come out.

"Thank you," Yuusei replied, "I really do love you," he told her and Kyoko smiled as her cheeks turned a deeper shade of red.

"I love you too," she told him before her body stiffened. She wasn't sure whether to tell him that Sho had a suspicion that Kuon was alive and somewhere out there pretending to be somebody else. She wasn't sure what harm Shotaro would bring and if he would even care about protecting her feelings. Some days Kyoko thought that Shotaro valued her feelings and their memories of childhood but on other days, his dislike of Kuon overruled.

"Anything else that I should know about over there?" he asked and Kyoko bit her top lip.

"No," she lied and somehow even she believed in herself when she said that. "Take care of yourself, okay? I love you. I _need_ for you to take care of yourself," she stressed.

"I'll do my best. You do the same, promise?" he asked her and Kyoko grinned as she got off of the phone.

"Promise," she told him before they wrapped up their phone conversation and Kyoko deleted the interaction from her cellphone before anyone could get the information from her. She went into the next room and saw Hikaru staring at her wide-eyed.

"That phone conversation," Hikaru said and Kyoko's eyes snapped open. She hadn't thought that he would question her about it. Hikaru seemed much too respectful to be asking her and Kyoko hesitated. Maybe she had placed too much trust in him. "Is Yuusei your boyfriend now?" he asked and Kyoko nodded causing the surprise in the man's eyes to increase.

"Please don't tell anyone though," she said weakly, "I don't want anyone to know," she came closer to him and put a finger on her lips. "Do you think you could keep this a secret?" she asked and Hikaru nodded. Hikaru continued to watch her as if he were in a daze.

Kyoko hadn't realized that in HIkaru's mind, the name Yuusei was Yuusei Ishibashi one of his closest friends and team mates. Since Hikaru was in love with her, Kyoko wasn't expecting the trouble that would come from this.

….

…

Kyoko needed comfort and she had decided that one of the best ways of getting that kind of support was to take a trip to Daruma-ya. The owners had been like parental figures to her or how parental figures were always said to be in the fairytales. She couldn't rely on her mother for support but Taisho and Okami-san might be able to help her in the areas needed.

As she entered the restaurant, her eyes caught onto a blond that was sitting at the bar and eating a bowl of ramen. She looked around. How had people figured out that she was going to come here or had Shotaro just made a lucky guess.

She approached him before putting a hand on her hip, "What are you doing here?" she whispered so that none of the other patrons could overhear what she hoped was a private conversation. Shotaro watched her before bowing his head.

"Just enjoying the food right now," he replied and Kyoko raised an eyebrow. "I've decided not to tell anyone, it wouldn't be right and you seem to be too sensitive about the issue anyway."

"I seem to be too sensitive about the issue?" she asked and Sho sighed as he brought the bowl to his mouth.

"I won't tell but in return…" he started and Kyoko cut him off.

"I'm not going to be your slave," she said bitterly and Sho shook his head.

"Not my slave but how about we try to restart our friendship," he said as Kyoko looked at him in shock. This was a more mature move than anything she had expected from him. "I mean, looking at you, it seems that you need for someone to talk to you."

Kyoko took another breath out before nodding. She sighed and bowed her head.

"Yes," she agreed as she looked at him nervously, "We can at least give it a shot."

 **End of Chapter Forty**

 **Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated**

 **Thank you to the reviewers of Chapter Thirty Nine**

Brennakai, Guest (x3), Kaname671, misherukuro,

 **Author Response:**

I'm going to try to be kind to Kuon/Yuusei but I can't promise anything 😉 Ren being public is definitely something to consider. Thank you for all the support


	41. Chapter 41 - Words I Don't Want To Hear

**AN:** Lol, I can't believe that once upon a time I thought this was going to be a happy and heart warming fic with a lot of fluff. I guess I'm not too good at doing that 😉

 **Chapter Forty One – Words I Don't Want To Hear**

Yuusei looked around nervously as he stood on the beach in Hawaii. He could feel them approaching him, it was like a sixth sense. They were coming closer and closer to where he was and he would have to run but he had forgotten how to run and there wasn't anywhere that he could run. He had to give himself up. His father was still on the island and Cain would be safe with him. Cain had gotten used to Kuu and was trusting Kuu. He would be safe with Kuu.

Yuusei knew it was the middle of the night for Kyoko but right now it didn't matter. He could feel the heat of the world around him. They would murder him were he to ever get close enough to them and maybe that was what he needed for the safety of his friends and family.

He held the phone up to his ear and heard the sound of Kyoko rushing to grab it. He sighed peacefully knowing that she would hate the fact that he was giving up but this had to come to an end.

"Yuusei!? What is it…what's wrong?" she asked desperately and he sighed. He knew that she would be able to figure out what was going on just by him calling her. She was smart like that.

"I wanted to thank you," he said in a tired voice. "I wanted to tell you that I love you and I hope you can still carry a small part of me with you but I can understand if you can't," he said and Kyoko started to breathe more quickly. "I love you, Kyoko. I never thought that I could love anyone or that I deserved to feel the love that you have. Please feel free to find someone else, don't bind yourself to me. This is goodbye for now and thank you. Thank you for everything."

Kyoko's breaths could be heard through the call and they soon mixed with heavy sobs. She closed her eyes painfully and Kuon could tell that she was trying to not believe in the words that he was telling her. "This isn't goodbye," she told him stubbornly and Kuon smiled sadly.

"I love you," he whispered and Kyoko's breathing stopped.

"Don't you dare," she said angrily and Kuon sighed, he looked up at the sky, it was almost time. "If you do this Kuon, I will never ever forgive you. You'll be worse than Shotaro," she told him and he sighed, feeling his own voice break.

"You know that I have to. Please, keep the ring?" he asked her and she sobbed harder, breaking down over the line.

"Damn you, Kuon," she whispered. "Of course I'll keep your ring, Corn. I'm angry at you but I know what you're talking about and I'll hate you for a while, I have to because you're not staying alive for me. Don't do this. I beg of you," she said and Kuon could feel the pain that was going through her. "Don't you dare do this to us." She sobbed again but both of them knew that she had no way of stopping this.

"I love you," Kuon repeated and Kyoko cried harder.

"I love you too, you've always been my fairy prince. I love you so don't let them hurt you too badly," she said and Kuon felt his voice weaken.

"Goodbye, Princess Kyoko," he said softly and he heard the way that she was choking, trying desperately to speak through the tears that could fill buckets easily.

"Goodbye, Prince Corn," she sobbed before ending the call. Kuon frowned but at least he would keep her safe. He would keep all of them safe. He just had to end his life and it would all go back to normal.

…..

…..

Kyoko couldn't sleep that night. She regretted hanging up the phone but she knew that she would never be able to change his mind on this. The stubbornness was a shared trait between the two of them and no matter the heartbreak, he was going to go and feel that this was the best way of helping everyone. This wasn't like magic, this was a curse and a nightmare rolled into one and she hated the fact that he would want her to continue with her own life.

He wasn't safe and he knew it. He was far from safe if he went back to them willingly and they both knew it. Soon the calls would come in and the announcements would be made and Kuon really would be gone forever.

Kyoko felt the sunlight was mocking her when it rose. It was telling her that Kuon would never age again, he wouldn't breathe or speak and the last words he said to her were his goodbye. He was gone from this world and she would have to act like it was a new day. There were only a handful of people that she could talk to about this and she froze. Hopefully this man was awake.

She sat at the edge of her bed and clicked the phone, pressing one of the speed dial numbers and waited.

"Hello, Yashiro speaking," the manager said and Kyoko felt the tears well up inside of her as her sobs carried through to the other end of the line. "Kyoko-chan?" Yashiro asked, "What is it? What's wrong?"

"Can I meet with you this morning?" she asked as she looked to the clock to find out it was before six, maybe she shouldn't have bothered him so early. She had no idea of the time when he would wake up.

"Of course - did you want me to come there?" Yashiro said quickly and Kyoko bowed her head.

"LME," she said before drying her eyes. "It's where I first met Ren. I think that's the ideal place to meet. He's not with us any longer," she whispered but something in her heart wasn't cut off, she still felt his presence but that's what a lot of people said when there was somebody close to them that had passed away. Feeling his presence shouldn't be a sign that he might still be alive. It was foolish for her to believe in such a silly little thing.

"He's in…Yuusei is far away, right?" Yashiro asked and Kyoko sobbed.

"He went back to them," she said sadly and Yashiro gasped, his breath softening and Kyoko knew that he was in the same amount of disbelief that she was in. However, Yashiro most likely wouldn't have had that goodbye said to him. She wondered if she had been the last person that Kuon had ever spoken to. She sobbed again. "I'm sorry," she said trying to use the gentleman's smile that she had seen so often on Ren's face, "Can we not talk about this over the phone?"

"You're right. How about we meet at eight?" he asked and Kyoko choked on her tears.

"Yes, that would be good," she said as she softly closed the phone. The president should be told about this as well but she was too weak to make that phone call. She looked at her phone and the photos that she and Kuon had taken as a couple. It had been such a short time that they were a couple but they had known each other for far longer than they had as children. Corn had always stayed in her heart for ten years even with a short meeting time, one summer wasn't enough. However, Kuon would always be a part of her. She would always carry him with her inside her heart.

…

…..

Kuu looked at his parents nervously. He was supposed to be heading back to California in a few hours but his father had passed him a piece of paper with a seal on it. Kuu looked at it, he knew that it was Kuon's penmanship but what was there that his son had to say that he wouldn't be able to just say with words.

With a deep breath to steady himself, Kuu opened the paper and looked at the wording on it.

 _Dad,_

 _I am so sorry that I wasn't able to tell you goodbye. I can't risk the safety of my loved ones any longer. I know that you wanted me to be strong and continue with a good life but I can't do so without my heart breaking. You have always been my hero. I have always looked up to you and wanted to be you and I know that you never would have let me and Mom down. You would have always come to my aid but my life continuing would put yours at risk. Thank you for giving me a good childhood and loving parents even if you sometimes doubted the fact. I am sorry to ask so much of you but if I could ask for anything, please make sure that Cain has a good home._

 _Tell Mom that I love her and that I know she'll miss me but I couldn't ask for better parents. Please take care of one another. I'm sorry that I won't be a part of your life any longer but I really have enjoyed my time because of you and Mom and all that you provided me with in life. I love you Dad. Thank you again._

 _I would never have experienced any of the joys that life brings without you._

 _Your son,_

 _Kuon_

Kuu walked away from his father as he looked at the words on the letter once again. He felt his stomach drop as he realized the stupid mistake that Kuon had made, most likely through impatience. Being patient was one of the hardest things that somebody could do especially when they faced this kind of problem but it would have been better for him. Boss would have come up with something.

Kuu tried to isolate himself but he knew that he had to make sure that Julie knew about this. This moment reminded him of that one so many years ago when he had seen his son walk out of his life and not turn back for a long time. They had kept their distance then but always known that Kuon was alive. This time, Kuon had once again not said goodbye to them.

Kuu closed his eyes as he sat down and phoned Julie. His breath kept catching in his throat but Julie was his mother, she deserved to know what was wrong and this was definitely wrong. As Julie finally answered the phone, Kuu sobbed again and that put her on alert.

"Kuu?" she asked and the actor looked down.

"He went back to them," he said slowly and heard Julie start to hyperventilate. Kuu wished that he could hold her, that he was there with her in person but sometimes people had to learn the truth without their support there. He hadn't meant to hurt her but the earlier she knew the better.

"But he…he knows that they want him dead. Why would he go back there willingly?" she asked as she tried to hide the sobs in her voice but Kuu knew how devastated she was. He was too. This was his son and he hadn't stuck to the plan that would have saved his life. He was angry at him but that anger didn't seem to be best.

"Because he's the son that we raised," Kuu told her, "because he knows how to have honor and to be brave and to stand up for the ones that he loves. Those are all traits that we instilled in him. We raised him to be a noble man," he told her and Julie sobbed.

"I wish that he was more selfish," she said. "I can't lose him again," she said and Kuu sighed.

There was no way of stopping it. Kuon had given his life to protect them.

That was the only truth that he could rely on.

 **End of Chapter Forty-One**

 **Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated**

 **Thank you to the reviewers of Chapter Forty**

EmmaLasagna, H-Nala, Kaname671, paulagato


	42. Chapter 42 - A Change in Gang Leadership

**AN:** I hadn't expected to update this one so quickly but I got excited for this chapter

 **Chapter Forty Two – A Change in Gang Leadership**

Kuon moved slowly towards the gang headquarters that he had been tortured in. He knew where this was from his escape and however scared he was here, the truth was that this would protect his friends and family and even Cain. He had been hiding for too long. Rick had pretty much sold him out but he wasn't going to be like Rick, he was going to let them kill him in exchange for his loved ones being alive.

With a deep breath, Kuon stood outside the headquarters and laughed as a couple of men moved towards him. These men were probably going to threaten him, tell him he had made a mistake in coming there and then try to bind him and take him to the boss.

So, this was goodbye then. Kuon looked to one of them, "I'm not here to fight," he said in a hollow manner. "I'm here to surrender. It's me that you want to kill and so I'm offering you that. You have no fight against Kyoko, no fight against my parents, I'm here to surrender."

The guards looked to one another in confusion. One of them took the opportunity to strike at Kuon but he didn't do anything to protect himself. That's how they knew he was serious. He was willing to be killed for the sake of others, few people ever did that despite claiming that they would.

Grabbing each of his arms, the men took him in after searching him for weapons. The boss would want to end Hizuri's life himself.

…

…

Kyoko went into LME feeling as if her world had ended. With the finality in Kuon's voice, she knew that it was over. He was handing himself over to people who weren't even in law enforcement. Changing his face and identity would be better because at least he'd be alive. All of this had been for nothing. His return had only made her see how much he loved her but she wouldn't be able to get married to him. She was a Hizuri in heart but she would never legally be part of that family.

"Kyoko-chan," Yashiro said as he rushed over to her. He was in pain as well but he still wasn't sure of the story and of Kuon's return and now death. He had heard things, been informed of some things like the fact that he was alive but he hadn't known the details of the new identity for everyone's safety.

"He's gone," Kyoko whispered as she turned to Yashiro. "I can feel it."

"I thought that it was only a rumor that he was still alive," Yashiro told her and Kyoko laughed bitterly. She pushed a hand through her hair. She had felt the pain upon seeing the pictures of the car murder and that had almost pulled her under but this time she felt no joy in her life. He had committed suicide instead of fighting.

In the past she had felt nothing but anger. He had been murdered but it had been all because of somebody else. Now he was killing himself and she was one of the reasons. Kyoko looked down. "After my current jobs, I want to take a break from acting," she said and Yashiro nodded in understanding. "I'm going to go down to Kyoto for a while, clear my head."

"I understand that but I'm sure Kuon would have wanted you to continue the job that you love," Yashiro attempted to reason with her. Kyoko felt her breath shallow. She knew that she could stay here and that things between herself and Shotaro had improved but that wasn't what she cared about. She wanted to be in the place where she had met him, remember the precious stories of her prince Corn.

"Thank you for everything," Kyoko told Yashiro who nodded slowly. "It's just that I can't stay here. I have a commitment to the work that I'm doing now but after that…I need to be by myself and reevaluate my life. I want to make Kuon proud."

Yashiro nodded slowly and looked towards the young woman. He wanted to make things so much easier for her but it was going to be hard – impossible even. He nodded. "Good luck," he whispered and Kyoko felt the tears in her eyes. Luck was what she needed.

…

 **Three Months Later**

…

Kyoko sat by the lake in which she had once held Corn with Kuon standing behind her. They had just been kids at the time. She looked into the ripples of water as she tossed a pebble into the water and then felt the tears in her eyes. She must have gotten pregnant in Hawaii without realizing it because as soon as she had some time to think, she realized that something was wrong and two months ago, the doctor had confirmed it. She was pregnant. She wasn't married to him and the child would never know him but she had Kuon's baby inside of her.

As she closed her eyes and felt the brush of the wind against her cheek, she felt someone approach her and she flinched. She had often felt the presence of other people here and a few times it was the same two teenagers wanting to make out and have sex. She wasn't going to move for them.

She closed her eyes and bowed her head with tears streaming down her cheeks as she felt the person approach her. "Please leave," she requested, "Leave!" she barked back at the person. The height was bothering her. She bowed her head and flinched as the man sat down next to her. She didn't want another man around her. Maybe the fact that she was four months pregnant would scare him away.

"Hey," he turned to her and she tried to ignore him. The man was wearing a hooded leather jacket. She didn't want anyone flirting with her and so she tried to turn away. He reached out a hand for her and she froze as she studied the cuts and burns on this man's wrist and the way it looked like he was either heavily into self-injury or he'd been through some things.

"Will you let g—go o" Kyoko said as she pulled her hand away from him. She turned to look at him and maybe throw some more abusive words his way but she paused in disbelief as she looked into those amazing emerald eyes. How was this possible? "I'm hallucinating," she stated. "I thought that I was over these damn halluci-"

"You're _not_ hallucinating," he stressed and she stared at him.

"Kuon Hizuri _died_ ," she tried to stress and he laughed weakly before looking forward. "He was living in Hawaii under the name Yuusei. He died. You can't be him."

"Kuon Hizuri didn't die," he said before Kyoko could see sadness in those emerald eyes, "He did kill somebody though," Kyoko looked at him with a truly shocked expression. That couldn't be true. Those words he was saying just couldn't be true. Kuon would never kill _anyone_.

"Kuon was gentle, he was kind, he would ne-"

"I know that's what you want to think," Kuon told her before seeing her belly and he had questions of his own. He bowed his head. "They didn't kill me. They told me that since I was submissive, they'd start me off as a low ranking member because they could use me. They tried to control me using drugs but you know, it was different this time. The first time I was fighting because I had hope that I could get home. This time though. It's funny how much you can accomplish when you've already given up everything."

Kuon bowed his head with a weak laugh. He hated himself for the measures that he had taken to be free but after finding himself without bonds tying him down, his first thought had been to come here to her. He knew that she had left Tokyo and this was the only place that seemed to make sense.

…

…

 _Kuon had played along with the gang for three months. When they had said jump, he had jumped. When they had told him to kill he would contact a target's family and falsify his death whilst providing an escape like he had. He had always made sure to appear to follow anyone's orders who ranked above him. However, all of that had led to this moment. He had realized two and a half months ago that they didn't have a plan to end his life. He just had to wait long enough to make his move._

 _Kuon looked at the blade in his hand. He had wounded the two guards who were outside the room in which the boss was taking a bath. They had been easy to bring down and he had made sure that they didn't make a sound whilst he was doing it. He couldn't risk the boss finding him and he hadn't ended these men's life even though they deserved it. The police would come to them._

 _Kuon entered the bathroom where the gang leader was soaking and silently pushed himself to the wall. He had done this during acting scenes and he had to rely on his stealth and tactical planning. His body was surprisingly even more toned than it once was and he felt that a fight would be in his favor. A gun and line of body guards wouldn't be in his favor._

 _As he managed to climb up the wall using his back and shoulder muscles, he slowly managed to move over to behind the bathtub. How could this man be so relaxed? Didn't he realize the danger that he was always in? Did he really think that much of his body guards._

 _Kuon managed to drop down and as his feet hit the water, he grabbed the gang leader from behind and shoved the knife into his neck, pulling the blade across in a swift motion and before the man could reach for a weapon, he was dead, blood spurting from his nearly decapitated head._

 _Kuon stared at him for a while before getting out and using the towel the gang leader had put aside to dry his face and the sweat off of it. With another towel, he grabbed the gun so that his fingerprints weren't found on it and stepped out of the room where the men still hadn't gained consciousness._

 _Maybe he'd receive the death penalty for this, the electric chair but this man didn't have a chance of hurting anyone else. He was a ghost and this nightmare was over. He heard the police sirens as he slipped from the location. As much of a thrill as the murder had caused him, he couldn't afford to feel the desire to kill ever again._

 _He just wanted to apologize to those he had hurt. Kyoko would be first._

…..

…..

"Are you okay?" Kyoko asked as Kuon stared off into the distance. It might have been better for him to have stayed around for police questioning and explained his side of the story before other people did it for him. He had really wanted to see her though. He nodded before looking at her belly.

"You're pregnant?" he asked before bowing his head, "The father?"

"Impregnated me one night in Hawaii," she said and Kuon looked forwards with a smile. He deserved to be happy, right? The gang wouldn't catch up with him or would he spend the rest of his life in a jail cell and be unable to hold his kid.

"I'm sorry if they have to put me away," he told her and Kyoko hummed, tilting her head to the side. What did he mean by that?

"I murdered someone, Kyoko," he said in a chilling voice. "You usually don't get to see the light of day once you've done something like that."

"You could stop saying it, pretend that it never happened," Kyoko advised and Kuon shook his head. He had to own up to what he had done no matter what consequences came from that.

 **End of Chapter Forty Two**

 **Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated**

 **Thank you to the reviewers of Chapter Forty One**

Guest (x2), H-Nala, Kaname671, PaulaGaTo, SpiritedRanger


End file.
